Thursday

They’re Driving My Car!

Never in my life have I experienced the kind of pure love as I did with my kids. Truly they taught me how to love on a level that I didn’t know existed. Now that’s the good part. Let me tell you of the day I woke up to find them driving my car! Just to set your mind right, they were 12 and 10 year olds.

         I was so sick that I had to drive myself to the Emergency Room. My boss had allowed me to leave work early because I was feverish and short of breath. It was the worst feeling in the world to struggle to breathe. Even my chest began to hurt when I tried to cough. A proverbial elephant was sitting on my chest preventing the simplest in and out task of breathing.



         The ER doctor told me had I waited an hour longer I would have died. I was diagnosed with Bronchial Pneumonia.  My temperature was 101 and I actually felt like I was dying. So after getting my prescriptions filled I went directly to bed. I put my oldest Warren Jr. in charge and told him if I wasn’t awake in 2 hours, wake me up so I could try to make dinner. Putting him in charge was probably a mistake. I should have called my mom to come get them, but I decided that I could handle this on my own.  Big mistake.

         I had a Toyota Camry and for those who know the horns on them sound different than a domestic vehicle. The antibiotics and cough medicine with codeine had knocked me out. I remember dreaming strange things like hearing my car horn blow. Surely this had to be a dream, but then I heard it again, yet this time I woke up. The medicine was working; I hadn’t coughed anymore, and had actually begun to sweat while sleeping. My temperature had also dropped to almost normal.



         I was still weak I had to hold onto the nightstand to make my way to my bedroom window. When I did my eyes couldn’t believe what they were seeing. My kids were driving my car up and down the street! They weren’t going fast, but my Warren Jr. was driving, while Shawn was doing the Princess Di wave. Each time Shawn would wave, Jr. would blow the horn. So I wasn’t dreaming! I got angry and swore to myself I would kill those two. They were always coming up with shenanigans that made me a better parent. The only problem was I didn’t want to be educated in parenthood in this manner!

         Instead of killing them, I called my mother and asked her could she come get her grandchildren before they became non-existent of this earth.  Then I somehow walked down the stairs, made it to the front door and with as much strength as I could muster, I hollered their names. When they saw me standing at the front door, the looks on their faces was priceless. Jr. slowly pulled the car into the driveway and shut it off. They looked at each other seeking to figure out how to place the blame for their latest scheme. 



         In hindsight I can laugh at that day because no one was hurt, and the police weren’t called. My mother and sister eventually rescued my kids from harm and took them away to their house.  At that moment I was relieved that Jr. and Shawn didn’t get hurt, they didn’t cause harm to anyone else, and I could really get some rest so I could heal. But those kids are my life. Jr. is deceased now, but the 23 years he was here I was blessed with his presence. Shawn is now a married woman and her life stories are still just as comical. I love my life!