Just Like Any Other Sunday

Anyone who knows me will know that this is completely out of character, but after my single-mom-friends epiphany a few weeks back I actually signed up for a single-parents group that has occasional family trips. Sunday's was to the Science Centre.

I invented many reasons Sunday morning for not attending--Frances was recently sick, I was still battling the same cold, I'd stayed up too late reading the night before and was really not so much interested in getting out of my pyjamas, plus have I mentioned that I'm an introvert?--but Frances was having none of them. It was the Science Centre! She wanted to go! So we went! And were late! Made it just in time to get our group tickets before everyone else vanished into the bowels of the museum.

There were, as it happened, several other little girls and a little boy just around Frances's age, not that she paid them any attention for the first hour and a half. Not that she paid anyone any attention for the first hour and a half. She ran from station to station, toy to toy, frequently threatening to run out into the main areas without so much as a "bye Mom." In my weakened state I could hardly keep track of her--let alone her, our winter coats, the camera and my purse. Which, incidentally, since I'd managed to impale my wrist on a steak knife turned wrong-way-around in the dishwasher, was already more difficult than usual. It's feeling a little better today (though if I die suddenly and my last words turn out to be, "I knew I should have gone for the tetanus shot!" you'll know why), but on Sunday somehow it made my entire arm hurt.

So as you can imagine I was making a great impression. Which made it the perfect time for another celebrity sighting (Hi, Katie! Sorry I was so out of it). "Frances is so adorable, and I love your blog!" Thinks Andrea: DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BREAK INTO A COUGHING FIT RIGHT NOW. Croaks Andrea: "Thanks." Thinks Andrea: Good job! NOW MAKE YOUR ESCAPE BEFORE YOUR LUNG ENDS UP ON THE FLOOR.

Frances, the social butterfly that she is, was already strolling through the cafeteria hand-in-hand cracking name jokes with yet-another BFF by the time lunch was over. As for me, I'm just proud of myself for speaking to three whole people who I'd never met before. Even if I do need to extend the definition of "talking" to "sympathetic grunts and nods between expectoration fits."

Posted by Andrea at April 15, 2008 8:47 AM under Single Momming

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