Mother's Instincts

You know how your family can have "family friends?" That is to say, YOU might not be friends with them, but your parents are, so you are by default? When I was 13 or so, living in California, I remember we had some family friends with 3 daughters at the time. One was having a birthday party at a park 45 minutes away one Saturday. Now, normally this is no big deal. But the birthday girl was turning 8 or something. At 13, I did not want to go to a party for an 8-year-old. I remember walking into my mother's room to explain my case...

"Mom? Can I stay home? I don't really want to go to this party. It will be a bunch of little kids, a bunch of adults, and me, 13, with nothing to do and no one to talk to."

Apparently my logic was sound, because my mother agreed to let me stay home. I ran to my room, kicked off my shoes, and proceeded to fire up the Nintendo. Not a few minutes later my mother came into the room...

"Garrett, I don't know why, but you have to come to this party with us."

"WHAT?! You just said I didn't have to go! This is so stupid! I hate this!"

Life was now the worst experience ever. The sun was shining outside and the weather was perfect, and when I got home I was going to kill myself. I hated the world and everything in it. Not only did my mother go back on her word, but the party was EXACTLY what I said it would be. A bunch if screaming idiot kids, a bunch of parents pretending they all knew each other since high school gabbing away at who-cares-what, and me. Alone. With nothing to do. I spent 2 hours hitting a tennis ball with a plastic bat. All the while with this creepy red-headed lady staring at me and making me uncomfortable.

Nothing helped. I finally decided I would nap the rest of the day away. I went over to one of those shade-things. You know, those things that are kind of like a gazebo, but they're just 4 pillars and a roof? I leaned against a pillar, put my head on my knees and closed my eyes.

Just then, my mother ran up, "Garrett! Garrett! Don't look, just listen!"

I heard a voice behind me, "Duuuuuude, you ready to go?"

I knew that voice.... that sounded just like Cody from Step by Step on the TGIF program. I turned around and there he was! His daughter was at the party! I didn't factor in that this family friend was a hair dresser to the stars! Her daughter went to school with Sasha Michell's kids! What's more, the creepy red-headed lady? His wife! She walked up and said, "I've been staring at your son all day, he reminds me so much of Sasha when he was young."

BOOYA! Did you hear that? I got "Cody's" autograph and had a great story to tell. This was the best day I had ever had to that date.

It's a good thing my mother listened to whatever told her I had to go to that stupid party, wasn't it?