Hair, Cleats & Happy Greek

I woke Sunday morning near 730am again, no doubt my body's natural rise time. It was sunny and cool – a great start to a mid-September morning. Because it was Sunday, I didn’t do sit-ups or push-ups. Instead, I made coffee then took Frankie outside. I decided to let Mindy sleep as late as she wanted without interruption. We had no major plans until later. By the time I was back from my run Mindy and the kids were awake. It must’ve around 1015am. Mindy asked if I still planned to take Jacob to get a haircut and new soccer cleats. Yes. I checked the hours of Dick’s Sporting Goods the night before. I knew they opened at 10am. Jacob was reticent about going for a haircut, but we expected it, happens every time. We didn’t allow his disapproval to sway our plan. To lift his spirits, I shared that we would take the BM’er. Why not? It was a gorgeous morning. It was just after 11am. We stopped for haircuts first. I decided to get one too. There was a 15 minute wait. To kill time, we browsed the Bed Bath & Beyond a few store fronts down. Back ten minutes later, they took Jacob first. I walked back with him to give detailed cutting instructions after promising him he could keep his bangs long. I asked that she not shear the sides like past visits. They keep past haircut history in the computer these days. Left alone, he would’ve gotten the old tried and true! Another young girl called me back a few minutes later. She was quick. She had me down for short back and sides, #3 guard, double crown, lots of calics. Yep! I was done before Jacob. Jacob's cut looked good – maybe his best ever. He seemed Ok with it as well. I tipped both stylists the same. I had my gel and brush waiting in the car and took care of fixin’ my new do once we back in the BM’er. We headed across the street to Dick’s. Jacob wanted to head directly to the soccer cleats. I stopped briefly to touch/feel some short sleeved running shirts. I was impressed with the price - $15 each or $10 off. I want a couple short sleeved running (wicking) shirts. I left them alone to appease Jacob. In the shoe department we were guided to the boy’s soccer cleats by a 16 year old female associate, or at least that’s what she appeared to be. Jacob became an instant pain in the ass. At first he didn’t like any of them. Prices, incidentally, ranged wildly, anywhere from $20 to $120. He wasn’t so much going for the extra expensive cleats, however. He’s not one to be impressed by spendy habits, at least not yet. Instead, he was concerned with the size, insisting on a men’s “7”. Well, we found a pair of Nike’s for $30 that he wanted to try on. However, after looking, the associate could only find them in a 7.5 and a 6.5 – no 7.0. I agreed to let him try on the 7.5. After all, if they were close, he might be able to use/wear them again next spring. But the 7.5’s were crazy big – like 2” too long. He wasn’t happy. We tried the 6.5, but they too, were too big.. He became an instant ass, insisting that they were in fact too small/tight. Really? Just then I spotted one of those tried and true foot measuring devices resting under the chair. I had him insert his foot. It measured 5.5. He wasn’t happy. He became an even bigger ass, turning away from me and saying he wanted nothing. OK with me. After a few second pause, I pulled him close and told him that I wouldn't tolerate insubordination and would whip his ass if he acted up any further. That got his attention. He still needed a minute to cool off, and so did I. At the same time the young sales clerk walked over and shared that it was OK to have smaller feet. That way he can get into the smaller boys size cleats that are also less expensive. That didn’t help him much!  I walked over and found a similar style and color of Nikes in the boys section and asked the clerk to bring a 6.0 and a 5.5. She returned with both quickly. However, when she opened the size 6.0 box, it contained a pair in pink - the girls’ version. I laughed. Jacob didn’t find it funny. The 5.5 fit perfectly – plenty of toe room yet snug enough on the sides. Jacob insisted that they hurt his feet – too small. The girl felt them, too. Said they felt fine. In truth, even after they were tied I could easily pull them off. They weren’t too tight at all. I told Jacob we could either get them or nothing. It didn’t matter to me. He chose to get them. Fine then. We walked over to look at soccer balls next. He needed a new ball, too. On the way, we passed those running shirts again. I tried one on real quick Fit great. I grabbed two. Thankfully, we found a soccer ball with much less drama. We headed for check out. Once the clerk started ringing up our gear I realized the soccer cleats were no where to be found. Hmm? Where are they Jacob? Not sure. I excused both of us from the check-out line and went in search of the box. He left it back in the soccer ball aisle. I gave him the benefit of the doubt. – an accident. While heading home, Jacob wouldn’t look at me – sat sideways. How cute! At home, Jacob continued his hard headed ways refusing to exit the car. He eventually did, however, after I ignored him. Meanwhile, Mindy still wasn’t home. She and Bella ran off to the grocery store. Thankfully, though, they arrived home a short time later. I shared the difficult time I had with Jacob. It was getting close to time to leave for Jacob’s soccer game. Mindy insisted he come down and get his soccer gear on, including his new cleats. Mindy complimented him on his new haircut. Of course now he was complaining about it too.  It really does look nice, however. He, of course, whined about the new cleats not fitting. I shared that I gave him the option not get them. He denied that. Frustrated, Mindy insisted he put them on after threatening bodily harm. He finally did. I asked that she check ‘em for fit. She concurred with me and the clerk. They fit fine. After a little more trouble, we were off to soccer. We took the back way to avoid having to turn left against heavy oncoming traffic. We arrived with plenty of time to spare. We took Frankie along too. Jacob ran off to catch up with his daddy, the coach. We weren’t far behind. As always, the soccer field felt 10 degrees cooler than home. And whenever the sun ducked behind the few scant clouds, it was even chillier. Wished I’d brought a light jacket. To help Jimaken, Mindy volunteered to pass around the snack list to all the team parents. While she did that, I kept Frankie and Bella entertained. Jacob scored his team’s first goal and came close to a second. They lost 3-2. He looked good out there. He was in a far better place mentally, too. After the game Jacob apologized for being a jerk earlier and even thanked me for the new cleats and soccer ball. I accepted of course. After all, he is my kid – sorta! Homeward. Mindy advised that our time at home would be brief. Needed to head to Sunday dinner at her mom’s at 4pm. That left us about 30 minutes. I used the time at home to water flowers out back. Mindy called us to leave as soon as we were done. We loaded the recycling into the Honda for drop-off at the Westgate Park recycling bins. We were just a few minutes behind schedule. As we turned onto Gloria’s street, it was painfully obvious that there was some sort of disconnect. Not a single car in front or in the drive. I gave Mindy one of those looks then followed with a question. Did you talk with your mom? Sometimes everyone is a little late. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, we pulled in anyway and went around back. No one home. Hmmm? Mindy eventually reappeared stating that there was a misunderstanding – went on word of mouth, and not from her mom. No Sunday dinner. Good grief! We headed towards home discussing our options. After painful debate, we decided on the Happy Greek in the short north. I missed the opportunity the last time the family went there. The kids weren't too keen on the idea but eventually warmed to it. We arrived at the Happy Greek around 530pm after stopping home first to drop Frankie. We were quickly seated and might've been their only customers. We ordered flaming cheese, calamari, and a couple beers to start. The kids ordered sodas. For dinner, Me, Mindy, and Jacob ordered the gyro. Mindy and I substituted the fries for a Greek salad. Jacob stuck with the fries. Bella ordered pasta and sauce. I asked the bartender if he would put the NFL game on the flat screen facing our table. He switched both TV's in our vicinity to the game. Cool! Our food was good, but not as good as the carryout Mindy brought home from there a couple weeks back. I was starving that night. We were there just under an hour, not long. I picked up the tab. We headed for home. Once home, Mindy had the kids ready for bed fairly quickly. I checked to see if my boss had responded to my email time-off request. He hadn't. At 8pm I tuned into SNF - Dallas vs. Washington. I watched until 10pm.