I've always secretly wanted to start up a blog, so I figured it might be best to start it on a day in which I had something significant to blog about--other than the usual cycle of diaper changing, cracker-passing, nose-wiping static that is my reality. And then, the day came and went, but I'll write about it anyway, because I'm oh so curious to find out if anyone out there in cyberland might be brave enough to comment with a story of similar circumstances.
The other day I took my hubby, Justin, to work in the morning, so that I could have the car and take the kids out and about for the day. We have this great library right up the street that I've been meaning to check out, so we went there first. I got my new library card all set up, and spent some quality time with my little girls, reading books and playing with puzzles in the children's section of the library. I picked out a couple kid's movies, and MK picked two books to check out. We went up to the front desk to check our materials out, and I asked the unusually friendly library staff person if she could place a hold on a book for me. Everything was going so well, it was a lovely start to the day. We headed back out to the car. I set our stuff on top the car while I buckled JB in, then went around to the other side to help MK with her seatbelt, and then we were off. One problem: I had forgotten the books and movies on top of the car. I didn't remember this until I heard a distinct rumbling sound outside the car, and glanced in the rearview mirror in time to realize that my library books and movies were now lying helplessly in the middle of the road!! I panicked. I immediately pulled into the very next parking lot, locked the doors, and got out. Here I am on the curb on a busy street with four lanes of zooming traffic. It happened to be a dead moment, but I stood there, puzzled, contemplating how I was going to retrieve these things from the street. Should I run out there and grab one piece at a time? Should I flag someone down? Should I just see what I can grab before cars start flying through again? Before I could decide, the first car demolished the Strawberry Shortcake DVD like a Wheat Thin cracker. Miraculously, though the case was crushed, the movie itself flew out of the case unscathed. Without thinking, I jumped out into the street, grabbing the flattened case and DVD, and stood in the turn lane while another vehicle whizzed past me going the opposite direction. I got back onto the sidewalk, just in time to watch in horror as the first book was destroyed. CRUNCH, flutter flutter, CRUNCH, flutter flutter--the wounded book caught some air and landed roughly about 10 feet from where it had originally fallen. It was blown open and a set of pages took flight a few more feet down the road. My heart sunk. I wanted to puke. Simultaneously, the first book was crunched and wrinkled a few more times, while the other book lying in the lane of traffic heading the opposite direction suffered it's first big blow. By that time there was nothing I could do: my kids were still in the car, and the books were clearly demolished beyond repair at this point. I sulked back to the car, full of despair, feeling like the captain of the idiot squad. "What happened?" MK inquired ever so innocently.
"Mommy made a big mistake. I saved Strawberry Shortcake, but I forgot about the books on the car, and they got ruined. I'm so sorry."
"It's ok, Mommy, it was just an accident. We'll just get some more books."
I felt a little relief as I let the swift forgiveness of a child sink in. But I still mostly wanted to puke.
As soon as I got home, I looked up the books on Amazon.com, hoping to find a good deal on copies of the books that were just mutilated before my eyes. Sure enough, they were easy to find, I just haven't gotten that far yet. I'm praying that the library will be gracious if I just buy copies of the materials and give them back as payment for the ones that were destroyed. Now, if I could just muster up enough courage to actually call the library...
