03.09.16A.D. Part 1

The invitation arrived on the 3^rd of May, 4 months before the event. The event would be my cousins wedding! None of us thought he would ever get married; he just wasn’t the marrying kind. I needed to book the day off work, but it wasn’t as straightforward as I’d thought it would be. I looked on my phone and found out via the maps section that is was 56 miles away from our home! To make matters worse only Paul and I were invited to the wedding meal straight after and not our children! They were invited to the reception at 7.30pm. I asked Paul if he wanted to go he did, I asked the children if they wanted to go they did too. I didn’t send my reply to my cousin Jude straight away; I just buried my head in the sand!

Then about a month ago, Mum asked me, “Have you sent back your invite reply to Jude?” I told her, “I hadn’t as I didn’t know where our children was going to stay while Paul and I was enjoying a wedding feast.” She replied, “Jenna said, ‘All of them were going over on the Friday, to stay 2 nights in a hotel,’ you should phone her, she’d be able to help with your dilemma.” I rang Jenna and she was great, she said, “Don’t worry, Daniel and Megan would be able to stay in the hotel with the other children as they too were not invited to the wedding reception straight after,” I felt reassured, so I rang Jude and told him, “Paul and I would be there,” he was thrilled. The kids weren’t thrilled when I told them! They said, “We won’t know anyone there, Megan said, “They are all much younger than me, I am shy I won’t want to talk to anyone.” I did feel a little bit nervous as they would be in the hotel for 5 hours! Would the hotel Staff be OK with this? Would they have to sneak in? Do I give them a pack Lunch? There were SO many uncertainties, but the main thing for me was that they would be safe, with Jenna and the rest of the extended family. I felt at peace.

I felt so much at peace that I totally forgot about the wedding until Tuesday, 4 days before the big day! It wasn’t till my Mum came to visit and she mentioned the wedding was in 4 days!!!!!!! I told her I’d forgotten (in fact I had booked off annual leave for that Saturday and was looking forward to going to my favourite car boot) can you imagine if my Mum hadn’t visited?

I knew exactly what I was going to wear. I’d tie and dyed a beautiful James Lakeland 100% linen, unlined coat that I’d bought with the TKMaxx voucher Megan had given me for my recent birthday, the retail price was £170 they were selling for a mere £70 but it had been reduced to £23 so I’d bagged myself a bargain! I’d tied and dyed it navy putting various designs on it and had priced it on my craft stall for £70 but although many loved the coat, no one was willing to pay my asking price, so I decided I’d keep if for myself, I am worth it after all! I’d wear it with my Ella Moda 100% linen dress that I had also tie and dyed, the same shade navy, it was 4” longer than the coat, with my contrasting flat, pink leather, shoulder bag by the fabulous Denmark designer Susse Volander, that I’d bought from the same shop, I’d got that in the sale too and had tried to sell that at a car boot for £10 but no one wanted to pay that price so I thought I love it too much to let it go for less, the retail price on the price tag was £65 I would feel a million dollars in my outfit.

I was sorted but the family wasn’t, my Mum had asked Paul if he would shave off his beard, I recently started calling him Santa as his white beard was about 2” long and his hair had grown even longer. I’d said many months ago to Paul that I’d cut his hair and I just hadn’t gotten round to it and now time was of the essence! Both kids had said, “I didn’t have anything to wear!!” Paul wasn’t bothered what he was going wear so I’d have to make sure I sorted out something smart but casual, enough for him to still look chilled out, I decided I’d look for a linen shirt in my craft suitcase. I looked and found the perfect item.

Wednesday quickly came and went and I still hadn’t cut Paul’s hair, to my horror he wanted me to shave his head. I told him, “You’d look much better with it, simply shorter,” but no, he said he wanted it, “Shaved.”

Friday morning before I went to work, I’d made a doctor’s appointment for 5.10pm for after work, I’d been the week before to see another doctor about my swollen ankles, but this evening I was going about the pain in my knee that seem to had gotten worse, I tapped myself into the checking-in computer, so the doctor would know I’ve arrived and it showed up he was running THIRTY minutes late! It seems 24 hours is just not enough for me, I need 30! Just as I sat down in the waiting room a man walked in he was trying to make himself be understood to the receptionist, but without success, so I went up to the desk and in his language I asked him, “Do you want me to interpret for you?” He replied, “Yes I want to make an appointment, the receptionist was SO relieved, then for the next 5 minutes or so, I was his Interpreter and hers, he explained what was wrong and why he wanted a doctor, she gave him a ticket with a doctor, date and time on, but he didn’t want the doctor that she offered him, he didn’t like that doctor!!! Then he was offered another doctor dated 2 weeks later, but he was there for chest pains!!!! So eventually he accepted the doctor he didn’t like, I asked him to bring an Interpreter with him, he said he would and he thanked me for helping him, I told him, “No problem.”  The receptionist also thanked me over and over again, and the others in the waiting room said I was, “Fantastic!” Limping back to my seat I said to them all in the room, “Just how hard it was for you to understand him is how hard it is for him to understand you,” they all agreed; and for the next hour we chatted about his language and me and others saying, they wished they too could speak his language, as they have, “Always wanted to learn.” The doctor we were all waiting for hadn’t called anyone in that hour!!!!

Eventually after 1 hour and 10 minutes I was called in, I told him how long I’d been waiting, he explained to me that the person before me had been very ill and had to go to hospital, that the ambulance had been and taken him, I told him I’d just been a stand-in Interpreter for someone in the waiting room.

In the waiting room I was informed that he was like an, “Old time Doctor, he didn’t rush his patients he took time to listen to them and examine them properly.” They were right, after some bending of the knee and twisting of the ankle he concluded I had water on the knee! He prescribed 100 pain killers and a tight knee band called a Tubigrip, which I was to wear all day but take off for bed I asked him, “Is the chemist still open?” He replied, “Yes they close at 7pm.”                     

Because I’d forgotten about the wedding on Saturday I’d made plans to go somewhere Friday evening after work, which would result in me doing a long report afterwards, I felt a bit like I was drowning, with the weight of the world on my shoulders.

It’s very rare I get a headache I get one about once every 4 years but as Friday evening came I could feel a slight one coming..... I was determined not to take a tablet; I was trying to say to myself, everything was going to be OK. I’d told the children to sort their clothes out for the wedding, when Mum had reminded me and I knew that as they were older teenagers they were more than capable of doing that, so that was 1 less thing for me to worry about.  After I went to the event on Friday evening I came home to write my report only to be told, “The internet is down!” Megan came to the rescue, she always does when it came to internet things and after she tapped a few keys on my mobile, I was good to go. It would be very difficult as it usually takes me over an hour to do my reports and the thought of doing the whole report on my mobile one letter at a time filled me with dread!

The other REAL dread that I had was that I don’t do good driving late at night and if I’d known I was going to the wedding and driving back late on Saturday I wouldn’t have booked to do the event on Friday evening. This was a real stress fear that I had.

Friday morning I’d asked Daniel if he wanted his girlfriend Susan to go to the wedding reception too, he’d replied, “Yes,” I’d told him I’d ask Jude if it was OK for her to come along to the 7.30pm reception and I’d added if it was too short a notice I’d understand. Jude text back straight away that it was, “Not a problem,” so then I’d text Susan to let her know, if she wanted to she was invited too, she texted back she wanted to go. I’d informed all that we’d be leaving the house at noon as the wedding was 2pm and I wanted to make sure I found parking etc. but I’m jumping ahead.......

Back to Friday, Thursday had flown by and Paul’s hair has still not been cut!! He’d done his beard and he’d looked smoothed skinned but his hair had to be done Friday. While I was still at work Megan had said she had wanted to come to the Friday evening event with me instead of Paul, Paul had said, “That’s more than fine with me.” But after work Megan’s friend Chloe, rang her and invited her to a party that night, not the kind of party you and I will know, there is no food, each person brings their own drink and drink it! She wanted to know if I’d bring her to her friend’s house and after the party pick her up, I thought about it and said to her, “I don’t think it would be a good idea if you go, as I have to cut Paul’s hair, go to the event, and write a report!” Megan said after she got a reply on her phone, “Chloe’s Mum would bring me back, if you drop me off at her home.” I said, “OK.”

My stress headache was getting worse as Megan and I went to the event, I usually enjoyed such events, but tonight I had LOTS on my mind, as there was SO much I had to do before I went to bed. I couldn’t see how I was going to get to bed early! The fear and panic inside me was rising.

After the event we had to go to the local supermarket so she could buy herself a drink to take to the party, I also bought a wedding card and had to take out cash back of £20 so I could put it in the card as a wedding gift and had to also get £5 EACH for Daniel, Megan and Susan, and money for the evening so we could have 1 drink each. This wedding was beginning to cost me dear! I’d already been to the garage that morning and had air put into my tyres and I filled up with petrol when I left the supermarket.

I had to try and keep myself focus for the report I was going write when I got home. When we got home Megan sorted my mobile out so I could do my report as we had NO internet then she went upstairs and got herself ready. Time had gone for her, for now she only had 15 minutes to get ready! She was stressing, I told her, “You look great anyway.” I said to Paul, “I’ll start my report now and when I return from taking Megan to Chloe’s I’ll shave your hair.” Paul was OK with that. I started my report and didn’t get very far when 25 minutes later Megan told me she was, “Ready.”

I’m used to cutting Paul’s hair as only I have cut it over the years of our marriage and about 3 times I’ve shaved it, it sadly took me much longer than I had anticipated, as it was for a wedding in a few hours time, I didn’t want any cock-up’s or cuts on his bald head, so I thought it was worth it to take my time and, thankfully it all went well, I left Paul to clean up his hair and returned to my mobile phone to finish my report, one letter at a time, as bad as that was it could have been much worse if Megan hadn’t pressed some buttons on my mobile I wouldn’t have been able to do the report at all! So 1 letter at a time was better than no letter at all.

I finished my report 12.30am just as Megan was dropped off, then Daniel text me to say he was, “Sleeping over at Susan’s, I’ll be home tomorrow 11.30am!” I replied to him, “That’s far too late; you need to be back here 10.30am to get ready!” Daniel text back to say, “I’ll be home 10.30am,” I turned to Paul, and said, “I read into that, that they’ll over sleep and will miss the wedding!!!”  I was determined to leave at noon, with or without them!

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday it had been a mini heat wave, it was almost too hot, it had rained lots Friday and the weather forecast and predicted even MORE rain with wind, for Saturday! It was raining a lot when I went to bed at .....1.10am I was annoyed with myself for going to bed so late. Although that isn’t late for me, I usually have a nap on the sofa in the evenings when I am not at work, but I’d be out all day from noon and there would be no nap until I returned home after the wedding reception which didn’t have a time on the invitation, but when I’d asked Jenna what time she thought it would be she had informed me, “7.30pm” that seemed early enough for me..... even if Daniel and Susan was only there for an hour .....

I’d set my alarm for 7am and hoped I’d sleep until then, but with so much on my mind, I woke just before 6.am! I always do my brothers shopping for him on a Saturday; I had talked to him the night before and asked him if I could do his shopping early at between 9am and 10am he’d said, “If possible please can you arrive nearer 10am?” I told him, “I will,” but had still aimed to be there nearer 9.00am, so I could get back to make sure everything at home ran smoothly, as Megan takes, (and I tell her this), “1 hour to have a bath, 1 hour to do her hair and 1 hour to do her makeup!”  I had asked Paul if he’d have his bath Friday after I did his hair, but he didn’t want to, he wanted to have a bath Saturday that in theory wouldn’t be a problem, as he only takes 5 minutes, Daniel takes only 5 minutes and I take even less.

Thank goodness I’d survived yesterday without taking a tablet for my mild headache and today it had gone, I did try to not panic, as Paul wanted to go to the butchers to get the dog food, as it was due to be collected today. Paul had told me the evening before he’d get up at, “8am” this would be plenty of time for him to get the dog food and come back and get ready. I sometimes go with him as the bones are heavy. At 9am Paul still hadn’t got up so I went to town to do my brother’s shopping. I had dropped off my brother’s shopping and was on my way home, the time was 11.20am I’d already had my bath so all I had to do was put on my frock and do my hair, all this would take me 10 minutes maximum. Paul text me and said, “I thought you were going to help me with the dog food,” I could hear the sadness in his text, so I rang him and said, “I’ll come and pick you up now, as you’ve already had your bath we will still be on track for leaving at noon.” Paul replied, “OK,” I then asked him, “Is Daniel home?” He replied, “No” I knew then they wouldn’t be going, maybe things had worked out for the best, but I was still cross with him for sleeping over, it was irresponsible!

It had rained heavy all morning; in fact it had not stopped from the day before. I picked up Paul and we went the supermarket car park, the one we always park at but now it was packed and everyone was driving around trying to find a space to park! Time was going too fast and Paul said, “I’ll get out here (in the middle of the car park) you find somewhere to park,” I said, “OK.” About 2 minutes later I found somewhere. I got out the car and went to the top of the escalator and near the lifts with a shopping trolley, so I’d be ready to take the dog food from Paul and put them in the trolley and into the car! I waited and waited ..... and waited and still I didn’t see Paul appear from the lifts or escalator! So I decided to phone him, I had already asked him in a text, “Where are you?” But had gotten no reply, so now in desperation I rang him, he replied, “I fell over in the rain, I think I broke my hand, these croc shoes are very slippery up Town, I forgot to change them!” I thought, “OH NO!” I looked at the time it was 11.55am!!!!!!!!!!