I'll Stand By You
The madness free version
On Monday we went in search of a new mattress for my mum cos she's going to have a single bed when we move house, in order to save space. We failed miserably actually, but found a really good one on Wednesday afternoon, so that was fine. That was also a very boring piece of information and I have no idea why I told you ...
Things did get more interesting in the afternoon when me and my gran made my mum's birthday cake - in the shape of a table with compartments, since that's what her present from both of us is. Lots of chocolate frosting and chocolate fingers were used, as well as two mini rolls cut in half to make legs, though that did make it somewhat precarious and we took them off 'til Tuesday.
Tuesday was my mum''s birthday and we went out for dinner in the evening to a place called The Trout Inn which we've been to before and has always been really nice. Boy, were we in for a surprise. We were led to our table by a skinny, ratty, grumpy man and nobody came to take our order for 20 minutes. The meals came 45 minutes later and ohhh my god. Mine was supposed to be a chicken and prawn creole on a bed of noodles, but the noodles were SO hideously overdone that they were totally mushed and fell to bits, and the sauce was really watery. My mum's was supposed to be 'smothered chicken' but was actually a very overdone chicken breast with a whole piece of really fatty bacon on it and then a couple of pieces of cheese melted over the top. Also, it was supposed to come with special curly fries which are really nice but when it turned up, it was really thick, dry oven chips. My gran said hers was 'quite nice' but that translated as 'barely edible' because she doesn't like to complain. Evidently my mum was in an assertive mood though, cos she did. The waiter grunted and said if I wanted mine done again it would take about 20 minutes (no wonder the noodles were mushed!) and when my mum said about the chips, he said, "Oh yeah, forgot to tell you, we've run out." My mum marched over to the bar and made a bit of a scene, so the ratty man came over to the table where we explained what was wrong. He wasn't happy and actually started arguing at one point - so much for the customer always being right! In the end, I think to stop putting other customers off, he agreed that we could just pay for the drinks and leave, which we did! We were all a bit upset but decided we'd go to the other place just across the road, where we decided to forego the main course and instead have a starter and dessert each. We were met with lovely, fast service from a rather attractive waitress (ahem!) and the food was loooovely. My mum has since written a suitably scathing letter to The Trout but apparently the real owners are away and have left Mr Rat in charge - and on the night we were there, there was only one waiter who we strongly suspect was doubling as the chef as well! It would explain a lot! Lucky my mum's birthday wasn't ruined, really.
It also didn't help that there's been hassle about the new house, though it's almost all sorted now. The women buying the house suddenly said she wanted to move in 2 weeks early and didn't want it at all if she couldn't! We don't have any choice about when we move into the new place since someone's living there til the 4th anyway, so we couldn't understand what was going on. I don't really get all of it but suffice to say my mum has been majorly stressed and seemed to be on the phone to estate agents and solicitors all week. Still, it's sorted now and the silly woman has conceded, though god knows what she was thinking.
This weekend has been far too sedate and a bit on the boring side apart from accosting a cat near my gran's house and cuddling it for as long as I could get away with.
The madness-filled version
When I got into work on Tuesday, Sharon seemed a bit 'shy' and confessed that on Monday, she and her kids had gone to the beach and she'd wanted to ask me along but was so afraid that I wouldn't want to 'hang out with an old woman and her kids' that she lost her nerve and didn't. But I was soooo chuffed that she wanted to and I said "If you'd asked, I would have," and she looked so happy. But it was also a bit sad - I asked was her husband away, since he didn't go and she just looked a bit sad and said, "No ... he doesn't do things like that with us." What sort of husband doesn't go on day trips with his wife and kids!? And at a time like this when she's about to have a major op and is really emotional ... no wonder she's been sad lately.
Wednesday I knew she wasn't feeling great so I brought her a purple flower from MY garden in a little glass jar. She was like "Awwww that's so SWEET!" She paused for a moment and then said, "We just keep on doing nice little things for each other, don't we? People will start to talk." But she was smiling as she said it, as if to say 'and it'll be their own problem if they do!'
Thursday, all heaven broke loose. I had bought us a jar of HER favourite coffee, since the jar of nasty stuff wasn't getting any emptier, in fact it seemed to be getting fuller - the coffee jar that time forgot! She was very chuffed and we instantly had a mug of it each and ceremonially dumped the nasty jar. Later, a funny fwd went round the office about a viruis called WORK that wipes out your social life and stuff. One piece of advice was if you got infected, grab 2 good friends and run to the nearest pub. I just said, more as a filler than anything else, that I'd had the urge to get drunk the previous night. Sharon thought for a moment (but a very short one) and said "We should do that together. Go to a nice pub, drink a bit too much cider, play pool and then you can crash at mine." I must say I did a very good job of staying 'cool' and nodded happily, saying "That'd be really good." Then we both went back to work and I paused for a moment, then got up, almost ran across the office into the loo, locked the door and did a Love Actually-esque silent jump-up-and-down-and-scream-the-place-down thing! I just couldn't BELIEVE it - she really does genuinely like me as a friend! This is SO good. We haven't set a date yet but I know we will. SQUEE!
Friday she was in a playful mood! I came in a bit later than usual to find her rushing to make me a coffee for a surprise when I got to my desk! Pity I spoiled it, but it was a goooood coffee. Then at about 9:30 she walked past me on her way back from the net computer. I thought she'd dropped something cos I was aware of something next to me - but the next thing I knew, my chair was hurtling downwards - she'd tripped the switch on my height adjustor! That was SO funny, she was practically wetting herself. Then at brak time, another girl, Cindy was talking about why her husband is now her ex husband and I noticed Sharon was listening VERY attentively and asking stuff like about how well their kids get on with him now they're separated. I don't know enough about him to get a clear picture yet but I don't think he's making her happy. Then about 3.30 I had a bit of a funny moment - I was very hot and got ever so slightly hysterical about finishing it in time. She told me I was flushed and made me sit down until I could breathe again and stroked my hair. It's such a simple thing, but coming from her it meant the world..
Today I didn't work, I had stuff to do and my classes tonight. I'm getting on loads better with the others in MTC now, though I'm getting a bit fed up with Vicky, I can't do much right at the moment. On the other hand, I'm not particularly bothered, I have more important things to worry about. Heidi's bump is enormous - about 10 days to go! My solo is all set, has been cut in the right places and seems fine. When we were going through where it's cut and stuff, me and Heidi were holding the paper together and her fingers were completely over mine. I was thinking "there was a time when this would have had me on cloud nine for weeks!" but it doesn't any more. I am fond of her but we're nowhere near on the same level and are completely incompatible.
So yeah, I was happy. Then, less than an hour ago, my mum told me something, a warning for when I go into work tomorrow. She's told me that Sharon has been very quiet, very down and depressed, mainly about the whole hysterectomy thing (she still doesn't know when that's happening) and confessed that she keeps having to pretend she's having a shower ... so that she can cry where her kids can't see her. I almost cried at the thought myself - the poor thing... and there was no mention of how supportive her husband is being, so I can only imagine he's usless. Now she knows my mum tells me stuff so she wouldn't have told her if she didn't want me to know. So now I have a new task - as well as the things we normally do for each other like coffee making and helping with things we can't hear on tapes, I have to help her through this - it's time to forget inhibitions and tell her that if she needs someone to talk about it with or just cry on with no questions asked, I am here. Any time or place - ideally not over the phone because as Kay knows, I'm crap at that. But I love this woman more than anything else I've ever felt before and I will do anything I can to help her, no matter what. I just want her to be happy - if I'm happy too, that's a good by-product but for now, she comes first.
On Monday we went in search of a new mattress for my mum cos she's going to have a single bed when we move house, in order to save space. We failed miserably actually, but found a really good one on Wednesday afternoon, so that was fine. That was also a very boring piece of information and I have no idea why I told you ...
Things did get more interesting in the afternoon when me and my gran made my mum's birthday cake - in the shape of a table with compartments, since that's what her present from both of us is. Lots of chocolate frosting and chocolate fingers were used, as well as two mini rolls cut in half to make legs, though that did make it somewhat precarious and we took them off 'til Tuesday.
Tuesday was my mum''s birthday and we went out for dinner in the evening to a place called The Trout Inn which we've been to before and has always been really nice. Boy, were we in for a surprise. We were led to our table by a skinny, ratty, grumpy man and nobody came to take our order for 20 minutes. The meals came 45 minutes later and ohhh my god. Mine was supposed to be a chicken and prawn creole on a bed of noodles, but the noodles were SO hideously overdone that they were totally mushed and fell to bits, and the sauce was really watery. My mum's was supposed to be 'smothered chicken' but was actually a very overdone chicken breast with a whole piece of really fatty bacon on it and then a couple of pieces of cheese melted over the top. Also, it was supposed to come with special curly fries which are really nice but when it turned up, it was really thick, dry oven chips. My gran said hers was 'quite nice' but that translated as 'barely edible' because she doesn't like to complain. Evidently my mum was in an assertive mood though, cos she did. The waiter grunted and said if I wanted mine done again it would take about 20 minutes (no wonder the noodles were mushed!) and when my mum said about the chips, he said, "Oh yeah, forgot to tell you, we've run out." My mum marched over to the bar and made a bit of a scene, so the ratty man came over to the table where we explained what was wrong. He wasn't happy and actually started arguing at one point - so much for the customer always being right! In the end, I think to stop putting other customers off, he agreed that we could just pay for the drinks and leave, which we did! We were all a bit upset but decided we'd go to the other place just across the road, where we decided to forego the main course and instead have a starter and dessert each. We were met with lovely, fast service from a rather attractive waitress (ahem!) and the food was loooovely. My mum has since written a suitably scathing letter to The Trout but apparently the real owners are away and have left Mr Rat in charge - and on the night we were there, there was only one waiter who we strongly suspect was doubling as the chef as well! It would explain a lot! Lucky my mum's birthday wasn't ruined, really.
It also didn't help that there's been hassle about the new house, though it's almost all sorted now. The women buying the house suddenly said she wanted to move in 2 weeks early and didn't want it at all if she couldn't! We don't have any choice about when we move into the new place since someone's living there til the 4th anyway, so we couldn't understand what was going on. I don't really get all of it but suffice to say my mum has been majorly stressed and seemed to be on the phone to estate agents and solicitors all week. Still, it's sorted now and the silly woman has conceded, though god knows what she was thinking.
This weekend has been far too sedate and a bit on the boring side apart from accosting a cat near my gran's house and cuddling it for as long as I could get away with.
The madness-filled version
When I got into work on Tuesday, Sharon seemed a bit 'shy' and confessed that on Monday, she and her kids had gone to the beach and she'd wanted to ask me along but was so afraid that I wouldn't want to 'hang out with an old woman and her kids' that she lost her nerve and didn't. But I was soooo chuffed that she wanted to and I said "If you'd asked, I would have," and she looked so happy. But it was also a bit sad - I asked was her husband away, since he didn't go and she just looked a bit sad and said, "No ... he doesn't do things like that with us." What sort of husband doesn't go on day trips with his wife and kids!? And at a time like this when she's about to have a major op and is really emotional ... no wonder she's been sad lately.
Wednesday I knew she wasn't feeling great so I brought her a purple flower from MY garden in a little glass jar. She was like "Awwww that's so SWEET!" She paused for a moment and then said, "We just keep on doing nice little things for each other, don't we? People will start to talk." But she was smiling as she said it, as if to say 'and it'll be their own problem if they do!'
Thursday, all heaven broke loose. I had bought us a jar of HER favourite coffee, since the jar of nasty stuff wasn't getting any emptier, in fact it seemed to be getting fuller - the coffee jar that time forgot! She was very chuffed and we instantly had a mug of it each and ceremonially dumped the nasty jar. Later, a funny fwd went round the office about a viruis called WORK that wipes out your social life and stuff. One piece of advice was if you got infected, grab 2 good friends and run to the nearest pub. I just said, more as a filler than anything else, that I'd had the urge to get drunk the previous night. Sharon thought for a moment (but a very short one) and said "We should do that together. Go to a nice pub, drink a bit too much cider, play pool and then you can crash at mine." I must say I did a very good job of staying 'cool' and nodded happily, saying "That'd be really good." Then we both went back to work and I paused for a moment, then got up, almost ran across the office into the loo, locked the door and did a Love Actually-esque silent jump-up-and-down-and-scream-the-place-down thing! I just couldn't BELIEVE it - she really does genuinely like me as a friend! This is SO good. We haven't set a date yet but I know we will. SQUEE!
Friday she was in a playful mood! I came in a bit later than usual to find her rushing to make me a coffee for a surprise when I got to my desk! Pity I spoiled it, but it was a goooood coffee. Then at about 9:30 she walked past me on her way back from the net computer. I thought she'd dropped something cos I was aware of something next to me - but the next thing I knew, my chair was hurtling downwards - she'd tripped the switch on my height adjustor! That was SO funny, she was practically wetting herself. Then at brak time, another girl, Cindy was talking about why her husband is now her ex husband and I noticed Sharon was listening VERY attentively and asking stuff like about how well their kids get on with him now they're separated. I don't know enough about him to get a clear picture yet but I don't think he's making her happy. Then about 3.30 I had a bit of a funny moment - I was very hot and got ever so slightly hysterical about finishing it in time. She told me I was flushed and made me sit down until I could breathe again and stroked my hair. It's such a simple thing, but coming from her it meant the world..
Today I didn't work, I had stuff to do and my classes tonight. I'm getting on loads better with the others in MTC now, though I'm getting a bit fed up with Vicky, I can't do much right at the moment. On the other hand, I'm not particularly bothered, I have more important things to worry about. Heidi's bump is enormous - about 10 days to go! My solo is all set, has been cut in the right places and seems fine. When we were going through where it's cut and stuff, me and Heidi were holding the paper together and her fingers were completely over mine. I was thinking "there was a time when this would have had me on cloud nine for weeks!" but it doesn't any more. I am fond of her but we're nowhere near on the same level and are completely incompatible.
So yeah, I was happy. Then, less than an hour ago, my mum told me something, a warning for when I go into work tomorrow. She's told me that Sharon has been very quiet, very down and depressed, mainly about the whole hysterectomy thing (she still doesn't know when that's happening) and confessed that she keeps having to pretend she's having a shower ... so that she can cry where her kids can't see her. I almost cried at the thought myself - the poor thing... and there was no mention of how supportive her husband is being, so I can only imagine he's usless. Now she knows my mum tells me stuff so she wouldn't have told her if she didn't want me to know. So now I have a new task - as well as the things we normally do for each other like coffee making and helping with things we can't hear on tapes, I have to help her through this - it's time to forget inhibitions and tell her that if she needs someone to talk about it with or just cry on with no questions asked, I am here. Any time or place - ideally not over the phone because as Kay knows, I'm crap at that. But I love this woman more than anything else I've ever felt before and I will do anything I can to help her, no matter what. I just want her to be happy - if I'm happy too, that's a good by-product but for now, she comes first.