“Whatcha doin’?” the GAP singsonged over the phone.
I was getting slow in my old age. I knew what was coming next, but I couldn’t think fast enough to get out of it. Well, I didn’t actually know the specific task, but I knew a request was in the making. “Nothing,” I answered. “I just got home from work.”
“Can you please, please, pretty please come over and sew a zipper in your favorite granddaughter’s costume?” I only had one granddaughter. “I don’t know how to sew a zipper. I’ve been in fuzzy orange material up to my ears all day,” she complained. The Worm had talked her into an orange cat costume and out of the Peanuts family theme. “She’s so skinny,” she went on. “I made a size six pattern. I had her try it on. She looked Sumo Kitty. I had to tear out the seams and cut it down.” The GAP talked a mile a minute when she was tired. “Oh, heck, she got the legs dirty when she went outside to play with the Mouse,” she exclaimed. “I haven’t even hemmed them yet.” I could tell she had the fuzzy costume in her hands.
“Why’d you let her go outside and play in it before Halloween?” I asked.
“I was sanding down a pinewood derby car,” she sighed. “The Bug wants to paint it purple with penguins on it.” She paused a moment, probably picturing the little wooden misshapened car. “My son’s gonna get beat up.”
“Welcome to motherhood,” I laughed. The GAP joined in. “I’ll be right over.”
“I’m going over to sew a zipper in the Worm’s cat costume,” I said as I stood up from my only briefly seated position. The chair wasn’t even warm.
“Well, I asked you to type up something for me,” he whined, “and you said not right now. But you’ll get in a car and drive six miles away to sew a zipper in a costume.”
Darn it. “Okay, I’ll type your thing-y first,” I caved. “Where is it?” He handed me a paper. “So my daughter appeals to mama-and-me quality time and you use spousal guilt.” Either way, I’m doomed. He smiled, and I typed before making the trek across town.
“So’d you bring the zipper?” the GAP asked when I walked in the door.
“You didn’t tell me that’s why you couldn’t put one in; you actually didn’t own one.”
Welcome to grandmotherhood.
Related posts:
- Halloween on a budget
- Everything you ever wanted to be
- Levitating grandma
- Was it worth it?
- Leave them alone
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Visions of Jenna dancing in my head! Anytime a phone call starts with Mommy in that singsong voice — I know I’m in trouble!
Can’t wait to see the finished costume!
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Great story! But we never say no. . . because we are grandma!