“I don’t know. I was just there. And I still didn’t get half of my laundry done.”
I had dueling thoughts:Bad Vivian, you didn’t finish the kid’s laundrybut alsoKid’s gotta learn to do his own laundry someday.
“Look, I really have to go to class now. Bye, Mom.”
“Love you,” I said to the empty line.
Dammit, Vivian.
I hadn’t been that drunk, had I?
You were drunk enough to post a video that’s going to cause you all kinds of trouble, which is what you get for drinking half a bottle of pinot followed by however much merlot.
Just the thought of it made me want to toss my cookies.
No time to toss cookies. I had to get Suja to school.
I grabbed the keys and raced to the garage, almost stepping on the cat.
“Look, Lucky, you’ll have to wait until I get back.”
The one-eyed black Maine coon sassed me with a multisyllabic meow that expressed exactly what she thought about waiting.
Good Lord, this was going to be one of those days when I ticked off everyone, wasn’t it?
“You’ll make it. I’ve seen your paunch,” I yelled as I opened the door to the garage, carefully blocking her progress. Lucky yowled again. She was very sensitive about her paunch, even if she did like me to rub it for her.
I sat down behind the wheel and even started the car before I had an unfortunate realization: I was not wearing a bra.
Bah, it wouldn’t be carpool if I were wearing a bra. I’d consider it earning my Bra-Free Carpool Badge.
I almost backed into the rising garage door. It was ten past nine. We could just make it if Suja was in the driveway ready to go.
Suja was not.
I backed into the cul-de-sac and then drove up the driveway on the other side of Abi’s house and ran to the front door, ringing the doorbell twice. Through the small windows to the side of the front door, I could see Suja shuffling toward the door with her backpack, lunch box, and saxophone case.
I tried to open the door for her, but it was locked.
The first thing Suja said was, “I’m sorry, Miss Viv!”
“Honey, it’s fine. We can still make it if we hurry.”
We climbed into the car, and I quickly switched from Bluetooth to radio before Suja could hear any of my music and then report back to Rachel. I loved Rachel dearly, but she was far stricter about such things than I’d ever been. I’d been secretly making up for the lost time of my restricted youth with my running playlist of uncensored hip-hop and dance music.
The last thing I needed was a question about Rihanna’s “S&M.”
Then again, I probably wouldn’t have to explain anything. After all, Suja was in middle school, that place kids went to learn all the dirty jokes.
As someone on NPR relayed the news in an expressionless voice, we rode in silence. Normally, I would ask Suja why she’d missed the bus, but it didn’t matter. Since I’d apparently missed the bus of life, I didn’t feel I had any stones to cast at that particular glass house.
“Again, I’m really sorry, Miss Viv,” Suja volunteered.
“It happens, hon.”
And it happens to you more frequently than other people, but that’s okay, too.
“I was watching this YouTube video—”
