Just another day in the life, really…
It began with a knock…well, more of a "BANG, BANG, BANG!!!" at my bedroom door, followed by the brisk entrance of daddy dearest, like a buegal boy, all singing, all dancing…asking if I was up, while whistling cheerfully, as if there was something to be cheerful about…like winter had decided to go on vacation and it was in fact a sunny, 20 degrees celcius just outside. "Oh yes," I replied…(clearly fully dressed, and with a days work already under my belt) sitting on the edge of my bed knitting some long length of something or other, just for the fun of it…If you can deduct from that, the drippings of sarcasm…I was not up…and if a sleeping girl in a bed cannot tell you that, I don't know what would…I would much rather him come in and say, "Time to get up"…instead of…"are you up…?"
It would just make more sense.
I am a morning person, really I am. Im an any time of person…A night owl, and early bird…I love the afternoon, and dusk is one of my favorite times…elevens's is great when your with friends…but the last few days…well…since Ive been sick, I just cannot for the life of me get out of bed in the morning…but despite that, the last thing I need after very little sleep is my dad jig-acting and making noise, so that I start the day with a headache…which, if you can read from my tone, is just the first headache of the day…more to follow…
When we were still in America, my aunt/godmother came for a visit, bearing gifts. Now I had seen things like this before, Chris had a lovely one, and on the alarm going off it used to bark, its eyes would open and close as it nodded its head, and it used to say, "good morning, I LOVE YOU!"…what a lovely way to wake up…a bit loud, but youl have that. My aunt got one very similar for Eoghain, a parrot, that did much the same thing…i think it just squaked and said, "Time to get up"…What did Shelly get…? I always have to be different…Mardy got me a pastel, cycling, CLOWN…who's alarm was classical music…and its automation was its legs moving, and turning the front wheel of the bike, and its head turning from side to side…
My dad was that clown this morning…
I sprung out of bed, knowing that mum wanted to be on the road by ten…and it was quarter to…threw on some black things…because black is what I wear when I don't want to, or don't have time to think about what Im to look like…black is black is black…Knowing that I wouldn't really see anyone…and who looks at me anyway…and even if they did notice, would they care anyway…I resigned myself to the fact that my hair was looking disheveled and my face…well Im looking quite ghost like at the moment…need to start taking my vitamins again or something…
I made tea and toast, because I had to have something for the extra long journey to Monaghan…And piled in to the car, heading for town.
Now this is where the litany of fun begins…
First stop, the post office. Mum had to park, and let me out, but a PLEB was parked across 3 PARKING SPACES…pure skill…so, because he was still in his car, mam blasted him with the horn (now I know where I get it from) After giving us a 15 second glare, he moved, because he was CLEARLY in the wrong…Im not sure if he was the one that put the gipsey curse on us, or the other guy that mam wished would get into a car accident, but I quickly stuck it off the record for a more karma friendly bout of genital warts…possibly both of them had something to do with the steady bad luck we had during the day…
The post office was packed…and neither of the queues were moving…it was literally as slow as christmas, I really felt like I was going to be in there all day…Then I went to the paper shop to get juice for the car journey…Capri Sun for car trips…don't know why…it just feels right…and its like walking onto the set of Corrie…the women that work in there are unbelievable…they nearly wouldn't serve you…its like your interrupting something important that they are doing, but they aren't doing anything…everything is such a bother…and then THEY take forever…Finally I got back into the car, mam cursed the second guy, and we headed for Page's to do an 'owl drop', which was more like a hit and run, thankfully Jane met me at the door, and Aidan distracted Mum with some banter, so it didn't feel like such a dash. She was wearing the cutest little blue dress that she had made, and after we left, I got an immediate txt saying that all my little things were lovely, which is what I like to hear :) Music to my ears…
One of the reasons that I don't drive, is that Im abnormally afraid of getting into/causeing/ or dieing in a car crash…I cant remember on what stretch of road…Im thinking it was the far side of Kilkelly, on a wide, straight stretch of road…there was someone holding up a whole line of traffic…it was totally clear to overtake, so mum started moving to the right. For some reason, I was paying attention, and saw a car come up beside us on the right hand side, at the very moment mum was moving out. Gliding up along side us like a great white shark…I immediately threw my arms out like a scalded cat, shouting an incoherent sentence consisting of… "…Mam…eh…CAR…look…AH" or something to that effect. She calmly came back to her starting point…leaving me clutching to the car seat for several minutes afterward…Its things like that that i don't think I would be able to handle if they happened to me…If I was driving and that happened to me, I would prolie throw in the towel and call it quits…well maybe I wouldn't. But it would scare me a lot.
Then everything went grand for awhile. On the way into Ballahedeeren, I could swear that one of the signs for Lir Cafe said "scones with cocaine"...but it probably said "scones with coffee" which isn't nearly as exciting...It might have been my exhaustion...or a clever way to get people's attention...Ill have to remember the next time Im going to Balla...to keep a look out for it...would be funny tho, wouldn't it?...The roads were totally clear. There was no rain. I was listening to Ray Foley and laughing away, while mam asked what was so funny and saying that they aren't really that funny…and that she preferred Ray Darcy…We said would we stop for something to eat in Cavan, something quick…so not to waste time. That was decided…came up to the main roundabout as your heading to Cavan town, and just between the two exits, the car conks out…just like it did the night mam picked me and Al up from dublin airport…just everything shut off…totally dead.
WONDERFUL
So we get out to push it to the side of the road so that we don't get mowed down, onto of everything else that is going wrong…And surpriseingly, cars are easy to push…I don't know if I turned in to the incredibly Hulk for a moment, or what, but I have pushed shopping carriages that have been more difficult and have put up more of a fuss…and we were going UPHILL as well…By some sick twist of fate, a motor-guard pulled up, just as we were finished pushing, and asked us what was wrong…"Oh, you know, guard…just got fed up driving so decided we would push it for awhile…"
0.0
He was very little help and kept telling us to restart it, and put the handbrake on, eventhough it was…turn off the lights, youl run down the battery…not all women are thick…Some of us know what to do with a car. He left and said that he would be back to see how we got on, if we needed a tow or whatever…which would be major negative craic…So close to Monaghan, and not being able to get there because of the fecking far. Thankfully it didn't come to that, but despite sitting there for the guts of half an hour, there was no more sign of the guard…
We drove in to Cavan to get petrol, because dad reckons that there is dirt at the bottom of the tank and thats why its kicking up…they should clean it out…we cant keep going long-cross-country distances and conking out when were so far away from everything…So…and Jesus it pains me to type these words…we. went. to. a. topaz…
I actually feel sick even seeing that…
Since the Rosport everything…and being involved with all that, knowing what is happening there, what is happening in other places that have had dealing with Shell…Ive only ever gotten petrol from them twice…once with Al, when (I think it was the corsa…)as sucking fumes, and we weren't going to make it to another petrol station…and the second time, today. I think it nearly killed mummy…I think it did kill a tiny part of herself…but it was either that, or break down again…and push again, and be even further away from a pertrol startion…so she gave in…and filled up.
After hanging our heads n shame, and feeling like I had taken part in some sort of mass slaughter…we then went to KFC…because we didn't feel bad enough already…and I guess we were pretty hungry too…and time was getting on, and it had to be quick….
The intercom wasn't working, so we had to drive around to the window and talk directly to the girl. All I could get was chips and beans, which was fine, but mum wanted chips too…and they didn't give them to her…and they didn't give me a fork…because I guess people that usually frequent those types of establishments just sort of ingest everything, bag, bucket, box…the whole kitten caboodle…or maybe they just empty it all into a trough…so i had to sip out the beans, like I was taking a lumpy shot…and like with all fast food…they definitely put something in those beans…they have a funny undercurrent of beer to them…and their chips are tastily fluffy cardboard sticks…It took us nearly a year to get out of the parking lot…there was a bin on fire, that everyone seemed to be ignoring, and semi-filled with fast food, I fell into a deep sore stomach deep sleep…waking up just in time to sit in the primary school traffic on the outskirts of monaghan town…
I don't know how people can work in nursing homes, unless they have a calling for that sort of work. And I don't know how you could stand to be there, unless you were seriously sick, or your mind had totally gone on you. There was one man there, completely sound. Told me the code for the door when I was going out to get nana some magazines and juice…But there were other women there, one, Bridget, she was just walking round and round and round, talking away to herself "I say Bridget, I say Bridget…your not here but your not gone…" taking about Mary's sisters and everything else…I was so tempted to follow her and see if its all the same thing, repeated over and over, or was she saying lists of different things as they came to her. It sounded like she was retelling all sides of different conversations she had had throughout her life…Then there was another woman that kept crying "HELP, HELP!" Which I found very distressing, but she was sound…she just wanted to know how many miles to Monaghan…As your going around the corners in that place, you cant help but see into the rooms, all the doors are left open…and the amount of people, that literally looked dead…I just don't know how you could work there,and see that, every day, unless you were called to it.
Nana seemed in good form. She hadn't a clue who Mam was, but she talked away anyway…She liked the Ribena that I got her, she said it was "lovely and cool"…and we stayed for just over an hour…during which time, mum made such a fuss about them finding nana's teeth that they took the room apart while we were there…I also got nana some magazines, which had this as my horoscope in one of them..."Either somethings going on and your obsessing about tit, but you cant talk about it, or your guarding someone's secrets. Meanwhile work is better than it has been in ages" - Wendy Bristow...when is that NOT the case in my life, honestly...It was fine tho, I think mum feels better now that she's seen her. And she looks well…She's all propped up in a nice big chair, so hopefully she wont get any notions about getting up and walking…
We headed off just when it was starting to get dark…stoped in clones for more chips, and because I think I must have been the first customer, they put them on fresh, which was lovely, but it took ages…And I fell asleep so many times on the way home, waking up to see and ambulance passing by…and about 40 lorries…and Im not even exaggerating…some of them very nearly took the side off us…I don't know where they think they are driving…but you cant come over the line when your in a big truck like that YOU WILL KILL PEOPLE…
Oh, and my phone battery died…but what can you do…such is life.
My stomach is in knots after all the chips and my head is banging from falling asleep in the car…
Im freezing and I think Im going to have a shower and have an early night tonight…sit in bed for awhile…read and sew…
I have very high hopes for tomorrow and sunday, Im looking forward to anything that is going to make today be alright, because, really…it was the pits...
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