Sistah Pat

Today is the last day I have before I start back to work Monday. Of course, it feels like I’ve already started back. What with the retreat and all…. Got me back into that “teacher mode”. You know…the one where you have lesson plans and kids and grades occupying a space in the background of every waking moment. That’s where my mind is…planning lessons and getting back to work.

Drove about twenty minutes yesterday morning to meet Phyllisann. Sat there in the parking lot of a Walmart for several minutes wondering where the Hell she was and finally called her. She was a basket case. Someone broke into her truck and stole her computer, stereo, etc. I could hear the car alarm going off in the background. She cancelled out and I had to drive up by myself. I was already running late at that point, didn’t have enough gas to get to Lexington, didn’t know where I was going (I didn’t pay any attention on Wednesday because she was driving) and didn’t want to have to drive through heavy fog all the way. It was so tempting to just turn around and go home but I’m proud to say I got it all under control and made it to the retreat. The fog was really bad and I was a nervous wreck by the time I got there but, at least, I DID get there. I don’t know what’s wrong with me…getting old? stress? insecurity? I’m just not as confident as I used to be. It’s real easy to give up when the going gets tough. What used to be a challenge has become an obstacle. At any rate, I feel good that I didn’t give up and go home.

Got out of the retreat early and was home by 2:45 so I decided to go cash in DS’s bond and get my money back. I tried to on Monday but the line went all the way through all the turnstiles and around the corner. I didn’t have time to deal with it and make it home in time for DIL to pick up the kids so I had to leave. So, yesterday, I went downtown, drove around the block a couple of times to find a parking spot, maneuvered my big ass Lincoln into a space, shoved a fistfull of quarters in the meter and went to the courthouse. Stood in line for 45 minutes and got up to the window at 3:45. Those people are awful. I know they don’t exactly deal with the upper crust of society but still! They shuffle around like they have all day. Two windows open and 10 people in line and they work with one person, leave the window, come back two or three minutes later, talk to the person at the window for a minute and fill out a form, leave the window, come back two or three minutes later, etc . I finally got up to the window and the woman who waited on me didn’t even say, “May I help you?” She just ignored me for a couple of minutes while she typed a word or two (probably would have gone a lot faster but she was handicapped with two inch nails and hit the keys one at a time) and then looked up and stared at me. I said, “I need to get a bond refund.” “Got a receipt?” “Yes, here it is.” She took the receipt, grabbed a form and started filling it out. The woman next to her said, “Don’t do any more bonds. They closed down a couple of minutes ago.” Dagger nails looked at her watch and said, “There’s still fifteen minutes.” The other woman said, “They just called. They closed down twenty minutes early for some kind of meeting.” Dagger nails hands my receipt back to me and says, “They’re closed. You’ll have to come back tomorrow.” I said, “Well, can’t I go ahead and get some of the paperwork done? I’ve been standing in line for 45 minutes. Can I get the forms filled out and just pick up the check tomorrow?” Dagger nails looks at me like I’m stupid and says, “They’re closed. You have to come back tomorrow.” No wonder they check your handbag before you can go in. I felt like grabbing one of the sheriff’s guns and saying, “Well I guess they’re just going to have to open up again, aren’t they? I guess you’re gonna have to chip those nails, Bitch, cause I’m not leaving till I get my money so you better start hitting those keys. You got that??? MOVE!!!”

I didn’t though. Probably would have looked bad to the caseworker. She might have thought I was “inflexible”.

Got up this morning and DH said he’d take me back down there. We went out front and someone had broken the antenna off his car. Crap! This used to be such a nice neighborhood. Coincidence? He dropped me off at the courthouse and I went in loaded for bear. Surprise! There were only five people in line and three windows open. Remind me to only go to the courthouse on Friday mornings. At any rate, it didn’t take very long and a woman called me up to her window. I handed her my receipt and said, “I need to get a bond refund.” She looked at the receipt and then looked at me and a big smile broke out on her face and she said, “Mrs. R!!! Don’t you remember me? You were my teacher a few years ago. Lakiesha Hunter. Remember?”

Sh*t!! I didn’t know her from a hole in the ground but I smiled and said, “Well, Hey, Lakiesha! Of course I remember you. It’s been a long time!”

She’s smiling and yells across the office, “Hey! Loretta, this is Mrs. R. She used to be my math teacher!” Now everyone in the entire office is looking at me and everyone in the line is glaring at me and wishing I’d finish my business so they can get their money back and Lakiesha says, “I sure never expected to see you down here! You remember Robert? Robert White? He’s my husband now! I can’t wait to tell him I saw you. What do you need? A bond refund? I sure never thought I’d be filling out a bond refund for you Mrs. R!”

“Yeah, well, it’s not for me, Lakiesha. The bond was for my son.”

“OMG! I bet you wanted to kill him, didn’t you? I can’t imagine one of your kids getting in trouble. I just can’t imagine it! I bet you tore his butt up, didn’t you?”

I finally got away from Lakiesha, went upstairs with my paperwork, and got my money back. Can’t wait for Lakiesha’s next high school reunion. She’ll have lots to share with everyone. I hate my life…..

DH is packing the RV.  Won’t tell me where we’re going but says we’re out of here as soon as DIL picks up the kids.