A Nasty Disposition

I didn’t sleep as well as I hoped, yet still woke just after 5:30am feeling moderately rested. If I had to guess, I’d blame all the sugar I consumed on Sunday, which was far more than I typically do. Already, things were looking up after I spotted crystal clear skies. Too, the temperature was 38 degrees. I expected much worse. Like usual, I whipped out my sit-ups and push-ups just before heading out with Ykraps. Shortly after he and I were back from our walk I had my coffee in hand. It was just before 6am. I spent five minutes on the PC before delivering Mindy’s coffee and waking her for work. She didn’t sleep well either. And from the sounds of it, far worse than I. My guess was that the Lindsey thing was weighing on her mind. Back downstairs I continued my PC time reading the Daily OM and the morning’s headlines. I didn’t break away for stretching and meditation until 6:15am. By then I could hear the shower running upstairs, proof that Mindy was indeed up and moving around. It was already 6:38am by the time I completed my stretching, meditation ,and was dressed for my run. My running clothes reeked of stale sweat. Note to self - wash before leaving for work. I was amused to see daybreak, albeit just faintly, on the horizon immediately out the door. It came on fast, too. By the 2-mile marker it was effectually daybreak. My run went well. I kept myself occupied with numerous thoughts, some positive - some not so positive. The net effect was a run that seemed to end just after it started. Like most Monday’s, I passed the trash truck well into his route. I often make a game of it. Incidentally, ours was emptied even before I left for my run. I moved it back to its resting spot after my run and before heading back inside. Jacob and Mindy were toiling in the kitchen. Noticeably missing were the Cabot boys. The house was very quiet. Another obvious difference was the time that Mindy had to prep my lunch. Alright! Jacob headed up to his room before Mindy and Bella departed. Mindy carried Bella down from bed. This was not a school day for Bella. She’d be going to grandma Sharon’s instead. I commented that she’s too big to be carried down the stairs. Soon Mindy & Bella were gone. Mindy mentioned just before leaving that she started to unload the dishwasher but ran out of time. I could see the sadness in her eyes as she departed without the boys in tow. But on a positive, she’d, almost assuredly, have a much quieter commute. I unloaded the dishwasher before heading up for my shower. I had the time. Why not? I was still showered and dressed before 7:50am. Before Jacob came down to leave for the bus stop, I decided to try yet another AAA battery I found in our room in his MP3 player that we assumed was broke. That was it. The new battery brought it to back to life. Someone must’ve placed spent batteries in our battery tote by mistake. I felt a sense of relief. I was thinking another $40 wasted. Just as Jacob was heading out the door I shared the good news with him. He was pleased too. I grabbed the football and met Jacob and Jake in Dave & Becky’s drive, our bus stop. We tossed the ball back and forth while battling the bright morning sunrise. The sunshine was very warm despite the chilly temps, which by then hovered around 40 degrees. Soon the boys were on the bus. They were excited to see that their sub was still driving. Not sure what’s up with their regular driver. I know the boys don’t care too much for her, though. Not exactly sure why. Before leaving for work I organized some bills needing paid and took them along with me. I headed out the door at 8:15am. There was a little frost on the windshield of the Trooper but nothing a little window juice wouldn’t cure. I was on my way. Gas prices were down a few cents but still just above $2.00. I arrived at work around 8:25am. It was a most pleasant walk into the building – birds singing and the sun shining. Ahh spring! Were expecting sunshine all day, but the high was only going to reach 54 degrees. But after yesterday, we’ll take it! And besides, did we have a choice? Work was only moderately busy. I spent the first hour of the day discussing several key issues with my boss and peer all the while sipping coffee. I walked down and talked with my team a bit later. Things were going smoothly. Come 1:15pm I decided to take a lunch break and drove off to pick-up Mindy’s prescription at CVS and then stop in Lowe’s. Her prescription required a $20 co-pay! Damn! At Lowe’s, I wanted to price a few spring project related items: a spud bar, patio stones and edging, replacement wheel barrow tires, and garden hoses. My wheel barrow has had a flat tire for several years. And some of my garden hoses need replaced after almost 15 years or more of faithful service. They’ve become very brittle. Today I was simply browsing and not buying. After Lowe’s, I stopped at Home Depot to price compare the same stuff. They have the replacement wheel barrow tires that Lowe’s didn’t. After about ten minutes in Home Depot I headed back to the office. The afternoon moved by at a snails pace, at least until about 4:30pm. Mindy called and shared that she was stopping by Kelly’s to drop off more of the boys clean clothes. I had called there earlier and talked with Rocky. He was eager and excited to see Mindy. Landon wanted to talk with me too, but hung up on me by mistake. I didn’t bother calling back. Come 5:00pm I got roped into a lengthy conference call related to a sticky work issue. That call lasted until 5:45pm. I didn’t get out to my Trooper until 5:50pm. I still had to run an errand as well – stopping at the ATM for Courtney. She needed a little cash to make ends meet. She was starting spring quarter tonight at Columbus State and moving in her new place this afternoon. I called Mindy and told her I was running behind. She shared how happy the boys were to see her and how Rocky got a star for his performance at school. That made me happy. She also said that Rocky wanted to show his new bedroom to Bella. Bella said it was cute – smelly, like the rest of the house, but cute! I arrived home by 6:05pm. I wasn’t in the best frame of mind after that lengthy conference call at work. I lost my cool a little and was largely disappointed in myself for it. Mindy offered to walk Ykraps with me and shared that ex-Kelly just called and berated her for stopping by her house. What on Earth? She shared the details while we walked. One needs look no further than Kelly’s nasty disposition to see where Lindsey gets it. We both shook our heads in disbelief. Kelly apparently espoused some obscenities and indicated that Mindy wasn’t welcome to stop at her home- ever. Yeah? I had my cell phone with me at the time, so I decided to call and rattle her cage a bit. Nothing Kelly could say to me, however, would justify her ignorance. Kelly answered and after switching phones, immediately made some disparaging comments about my wife running to me. Initially, I simply asked why she would be so rude. Sadly, the conversation only went downhill from there, just as is often the case when talking with Kelly. And it probably didn’t help that I was already in a somewhat agitated state from that call at work. Kelly continued barking unrealistic orders for how we might handle dropping off and picking up the kids in the future. I could no longer resist. I called her an obscene name and hung up. Again, I was disappointed in myself for allowing her bitterness to impact my mood. Crap! That was twice in the last hour or so that I let someone else’s warped perspective impact me. No excuses, but Kelly’s simply a hard person to like. Back at home the mood lightened. The kids came home from playing outdoors and we all sat down for our Mexican dinner of tacos and Spanish rice. Mindy recently took my advice and bought large taco shells. I could manage only two. Jacob the same. But I did eat two helpings of rice topped with taco meat and cheese as well. Courtney phoned around 7pm to let us know that she was on her way over. Class had just let out. Mindy & I put on our spring jackets and walked out front. It was a lovely spring evening, although still a tad chilly. Jacob was already out there riding his new bike with friend/neighbor Jake. Courtney pulled up minutes later. We talked out front while sitting on the front lawn. We talked about money management, her dog, and then Kaileigh. Courtney expressed concern over feeling lectured. And honestly, in a way, we were. In the same breathe, we’re very proud of the hurdles she’s overcome. I know it hasn’t been easy, but there are many more hurdles/opportunities yet to come. We carried our conversation inside. G.D. Kaileigh phoned Courtney a few minutes later. She asked to talk with me. That felt good. She said she planned to spend the night at our place next Monday while she and Bella are on Spring break. Courtney asked if I happened to have a TI-83 or 84 calculator she could use for her Algebra class. Sure enough, I found my old one from the mid-90s in the cupboard. It’s a TI-82 but should suffice. It’s a graphing calculator. I was happy to lend it out and save her a few bucks. We discussed the coming weekend and how we might get all of her stuff moved into her new place. I offered to rent a truck and get it moved. She has to work but I figure I can ask brother Tommy, dad, or even Ashley’s boyfriend, Stephen for help. She left around 7:45pm. Mindy called the kids in from play and got them upstairs for a bath and shower. I used the time to post to my blog. Mindy called on me around 8:12pm to tuck in the kids, who were already in bed. I did the deed and returned downstairs where we watched the rest of House and then 24. Mindy gave me a strong back rub during our TV time. My neck had stiffened significantly. It can come and go in an instant these days. We headed to bed at 10pm.