Blind Dating: (10 page)

Kristen is like doing not worry about the cost, I will support you. Worst case scenario; come live with me, while you sort yourself out.  Sounded crazy at first, but now I am thinking it is the perfect solution.  Let’s see where the wind takes us first, no- I stop and say, you take the wind somewhere for once, and then take it from there.

First she refused to come when she knew I was coming.  That is pride talking.  Because, for the life of me, I was thinking shouldn’t it be the other way round.  I should not want to go because I know she is going not vice-versa.

Saturday morning, the normal routine, drop off at little league, supermarket, picking up last minute bits, and pick up from little league then back home.  Wow, I am tired and it is only 12pm, how time flies when you are a parent.

The evening rolls on and before my very eyes it is time to go to Hannah and Megan’s Prom.  As I look at Hannah with all the pride in the world, I remember when I was Prom Queen and she has that to look forward to tonight, but I know in my heart, her events will be a lot better than mine ever was and ever could be, she was so different from me, she was a mix of Auntie Jennifer, with the family love and good looks.  And Auntie Christine with the determination and will.  We all knew she would go far, and she knew it.  She had her heart set on being a doctor and no one would or could dispute, the fact that she would fulfil her dreams.

Megan takes after me, she is the one that will flow through life, I hope on a better note.  That is all I can do hope and pray it is on a better note than what her Mom has experienced.  I think her New Mom will make her feel better about life.  Sometimes, she does not venture out of her room, she prefers being isolated and alone.  The weight does not help her either.  The good news was she forced herself to lose weight for the Prom, ND for this reason, I think it has helped her confidence and a whole lot more.

The door was ringing, the limo was picking them up, they were all excited like two little school girls.  Oh wait, they are two little school girls.  Eric is taking photos of his sister saying they look beautiful, he wants to capture the moment.  Then tomorrow, they will be back to normal fighting as usual.

He calls me to a corner and says he has his flask; we can finish it before we get to the Prom.  I agree, I know I am going to need that flask to get me through the night especially with him.  I get to that stage that I know I will not do it if I am drunk.  So, I drink enough to get me started but nothing more.

Why, did I never see this before?

His Mom told me the
truth; she came round and confessed that her son is a drunk.

She had to blackmail, him into telling his bosses, unless she helped me rehabilitate.

She said she wanted to make him get better. So, that is why he moved here.

Only after her words, I realised I was being a fool once more.  It was so obvious Brett had a problem.  It did not take a genius to figure it out.  She was contemplating how to get rid of him without Christine telling them it was over.

I went to her house, and I knocked on the door, and I thought, when you going to stop this Kimberley, you are a big woman.  Stop asking your little, not even my eldest sister.  Would that make it better, no?

Your sister needs your help right now, you do not help her, instead you want to use her to break-up with your new boyfriend, I had to do it myself.  I was too nervous at the idea.  Then I started counting all the men/boys I had ever dumped.  I realised after that Christine had dumped them all.  I could not remember the last time, I dumped a guy.

I was lost in my thoughts, because at that moment, prom King was asking if I was coming, he was screaming in my ear the limo is here, and then all the things he could do to me at the back of the limo.

And this is where the trouble started………..

I laughed so much, I could not stop laughing.  I said to him that little thing is not capable. 

He
said what?

I sa
id that it can to be capable, if it was he would not need to get me drunk all night.

He replied, by saying that is the only time, you are fun, when you are drunk, when you are sober, you are just a bore.

I start laughing, until I cannot stop.

He questions, what is so funny. 

I tell him slowly, but surely.  I am just wondering how a drunk ever remembers being sober or what it means?

With that, he went completely crazy.

Ranting and raving.

I tell him your Mom says you are a drunk; it is common knowledge in your family.  Everyone knows that –

He says stop.

Just stop woman.

I have had
enough of your behaviour.  You are just too much for me.

I reply, how
you will know, you never had me.

He says nothing and with that note depends on what the wind is blowing.  Right now, I did not find the route.  He storms out of the house.  Luckily the Prom dates were all in the limo waiting, so they did not hear the fight and it did not ruin their night.

I was glad, this meant, I did not have to spend the night pretending with him, and I had no intention of being a Prom all night long.  Until, one of you is crowned then I am off, I told the girls.  Told, the school this too, and they were comfortable with this idea.

I wanted to get home for so many reasons.  I wanted to go and talk to lonelysingle; I wanted to check out that new course.  I was thinking about changing career, would not call it that, but I was thinking about my options.  I had always thought of them as being too late, but Christine made me realise that it was not too late.

Seeing the kids grow up before my eyes made me realise it was not too late.  Time, was too short and we had to grab it while we can, even lonelysingle had been encouraging me to do more.  Says you sound too intelligent to be sitting there as someone’s secretary.

I watched them all dance the night away, excited about being in High School and now the next adventure of their life, College.  They discussed what they were going to do during the Vacations, and how their lives would change.  Couples discussed how they would stay in touch and they loved each other deeply.  All I could think was, I give them a year!  Maybe a semester!

Then, the time came to announce the Prom King and Queen, everyone says it is obvious who is going to get crowned Hannah and Richard get ready to take their crowns before and after they announced the names.  Everyone was happy for them to take it apart from one there is always one.  She was locked in the cupboard, wonder why someone would do such a thing!

My little girl, looked like a woman at that preside moment in time, a ND as I watched her take the crown, I took a picture and I felt blessed that they allowed me to be a part of it, and made my way home, to go and talk to lonelysingle and do some research.

I did not even think twice about the events which took place next.  I was too much in shock; I was thinking has the whole world gone mad.  And why do I take so long to get moving.  I mean this whole thing does not even make sense; I pinch myself, because at this time, I think I must be dreaming.

In my driveway, there he was singing and ranting and raving.  Singing the strangest song that a man could choose to sing.  And it had no relation to the events that happened earlier, unless he is singing in the wrong driveway.

All you single ladies put your hands up, .Oh, oh, oh, oh………….

There he was single, Beyoncé’s, single ladies.

It gets worse; he is doing the full dance, shaking his bum and hips.

One of the neighbours, Mrs Harris, was out there dancing with him.  One of the kids had it on loud speaker.  What was going on tonight? I was confused. Should I go up to the house or leave them singing and dancing to the same song.

Typical I, one thing I cannot let myself down on am being a coward.

When I got to Christine, she was cracking up with historicism, she rushed to get her iPad, and said lets go and see.  Told her no, the whole things were embarrassing. I just wanted to get on the net and speak to lonelysingle for a while.  She was like OK, 30 minutes and that is it, we are going back to go and see this.  

She said come on it sounds like fun.

I told her I was not sure if that was the right word, I would use.

Fun!

There we were driving to my house.  We could not even get to my house, the amount of people on the street.  Doing the same dance.  They had gone one step ahead since I last saw them.  The little boy, John who does the lemonade stand during the summer, was selling lemonade.  Someone had called the police, who were joining in the fun, by drinking from the lemonade stand.  They had two versions the non-alcoholic version and the alcoholic version.  It was like people from 3-4 blocks had come to join the fun!

It was 11pm at night, was no one going to sleep.  Furthermore, was it not breaking noise violations?  Christine said I was just boring, as she jumped out of the car, and rushed with her iPad to take photos.

3are, they finally stopped. Christine and the rest of them all got tired, from dancing to that one song!  That was the worst part of it.  It was not the partying, the drinking, the lettering on my door step, but the fact they had spent the whole night perfecting there moves to one song.

Beyoncé, I know where your fan base is – right here on my door step!

The next morning, I look at my driveway the trash on there.  I cannot believe it.  This is the part that I find even harder to digest.  The whole time I have lived at my neighbourhood.  I have said Hi to my neighbours and vice-versa.

Now, they have seen me looking at my driveway, they are approaching me.  Mrs Harris is running with excitement in my direction.  Yes, Mrs Harris can I help you?

Sure she replies,
Is your friend home.

Home, he does not live here. 

OK, she says, but is he home?

I call him, he comes to see her.  She carries on
to say next time, he is having a party, he needs to let her know in advance so she can invite her friends.  She called a couple of them, and they came to the party.  But, the rest of them are jealous because they did not have a chance to make it.  They need permission at the Nursing Home.

He reassures her that he will gve her notice, but it may have to be at a different venue, because there is trouble at home.  Home, I repeat, and they both look at me.  Then the strangest thing happens, he takes her to the side, I am still standing at the same position so I can hear them.

She says very slowly, you can do so much better! I do not blame you.  This woman has never said anything more than Hello to me, so how she is making this judgement is something that I cannot comprehend.

I do not know whether to laugh or cry.  I decide the best thing to do is  laugh otherwise I may end up crying and reaching for the whiskey, and then he may join me and then before you know it we are having another party playing the same song over and over again.

He looks me in the eye, and says, this is just not going to work.  I think coming back, I was trapped in High School, and we are obviously a lot older now.  Well some of us are anyway, so we need to behave it.

I stopped myself there and I was so proud, when I look back at this situation.

I give him a hug, and declare, he is right, and he should take care of himself, he says the same and we part once and for all.

No more parties, and certainly no more drinking. 

I have 2 days to clean up my frontyard and to get packing in order to go on vacation.  Normally I look forward to it, this year the total opposite.  At that presice time the kids arrive at the house.

Eric is like what happened Mom

I explain and everyone is in fits of laughter.

Now, I reflect back on the event, I can laugh. At the time, I could not.

They help clean up the front yard, and are excited about their roadtrip, and all the sights we will see.  The aim was this would be the last one as the girls are leaving to College in September.  It should not be something I am not looking forward to do, more the opposite.