The very next Wednesday, after I had written about our magical walk to the first day of school, Nate and Jake and I set-off to kindergarten.
About five minutes in, this is what happened:
I think you could hear him yelling from five blocks away. I’m not really sure how I ended up getting him to walk the rest of the way and then back. Probably threats under my breath. The magic was gone.
That afternoon I went back to school to get Jake. It was a hot, Indian summer day. I was wearing a gray and white striped tank top. At the last moment, I decided to throw-on my navy CAbi trench which is made of a soft, sweatshirt like material.
I get to school and Jake is wrapping-up Cooking Club. I remember my former life when I was the one who had Cooking Club. My friend Jill and I would whip-up gourmet weeknight dinners and watch the Bachelor. Following in our footsteps, Jacob loves making jam and muffins and frozen yogurt.
So I pick him up that afternoon and he doesn’t want to walk home. He wishes I drove. He wishes I brought his scooter. He can’t go another inch without water. He has to pee. He’s going to pee his pants. Enough.
We literally stop by the exact same tree that’s in the picture above and I tell him, “Fine. Just pee behind this tree. I’m sure no one will see you.” Girls would never take this as a serious option.
He seems to be considering his choices when all of a sudden he bends over with a nose bleed. It’s everywhere. I have the clothes on my back and a cell phone. I consider my shirt. I look around for a stray napkin, something… I decide to sacrifice my coat. But meanwhile Jacob is irrational and frantic when it comes to his own blood. Anything with blood on it cannot touch him twice, so every inch of my coat is affected.
Somehow we made it home. I had one hand on the back of his neck and the other trying to stop his nose bleed, my coat smothering his face. He had blood smeared all over him, forehead to chin, ear to ear. A neighbor walking her dog did the right thing by stopping to ask if everything was all right… we were certainly a sight.
We made it home and the irrational blood fear made a shocking mess of our kitchen, the laundry room, the bathroom. Finally, the madness stopped.
What a day. I’m just glad I made that last minute decision to throw-on a jacket. Would have brought new meaning to the term walk of shame.
