A LONG WEEKEND

I woke Friday feeling under the weather and then I barely slept Friday night so Saturday when DH made sure I was awake early in the day I wasn’t too pleased. Then he said to get dressed and be ready to go to Home Depot by the time he got back. (For those who don’t know Home Depot is a home building, hardware supply warehouse store. Basically a toy store for men.)

I dutifully get ready to go (with only a minimal amount of complaining.) And when DH is home and I finally step outside I find him hooking up the trailer, not a good sign. On the drive I grow increasingly concerned. When we enter the building and he grabs a huge flat cart my worst fears are confirmed. The conversation is pretty much as follows,

“Umm dear, you realize we have no money, right?”

“It’s ok, I found a surprise in the checking account.”

“That’s nice, but we’re still pretty broke.”

“The tax refund came in.”

Ok, so we’ve talked about redoing the main bathroom for the last year or longer, but I can still think of better ways to spend the money. Still when he leads me to the bath tub section and loads a whirlpool tub to the flat cart I’m too speechless to complain. Finally I regain my voice, “This is nice.”

“We need new cabinets, light fixtures, floor, sink, faucets etc. Lets go.”

By this point I’m wildly excited. A new bathroom! WOOHOOO! Before I can turn around twice we have two flat carts filled with merchandise and are being trailed around the store by three and up to sometimes six employees.

Oak cabinets, marble sink, new toilets, faucets in an antique style, brushed nickel marble ceramic tile for the floor, my heart is pounding wildly with excitement! I’m having a blast picking out, designing in my mind and selecting all the furnishings to make the room spectacular.

All the joy has me floating on air…until the check out. At this point I see the three carts filled to over flowing and my heart stops. Now let me tell you all, I’m the type of person if it isn’t on sale, clearance, drastically reduced I don’t buy it. What came over me on this day I can’t say, but I was living a dream A NEW BATHROOM!

As I stop in my tracks trying to restart my heart looking at the train of carts the tears burning my eyes, the correct part of my brain pipes up; DD could use some new clothes and shoes. We need to go to the butchers and get enough meat to fill the freezer; I could stock up on groceries for the next six months or longer.

Now I really am crying, feeling like an idiot. I walk, no drag up to my husband, “sweetie, you know we really don’t need all this stuff. I mean we can get by with a regular tub, the floor can be replaced and linoleum put in.” And I list a dozen other ways to shave the costs.

He looks at me with this you-just-killed-my-dog look and I cry harder. He was doing this for me. As the tears stream down my face and my breathing is labored I look at this man and think, I’m sooo lucky! He wants me to not be practical for once, let myself go and enjoy it.

I did. Now my living room looks like a hardware store threw up. Boxes all over. Toilets and a tub in the living room, cabinet boxes, faucets etc all piled up neatly in front of the fire place creating a maze of new sights and scents for my three dogs to sniff constantly.

Of course this man, this wonderful man, couldn’t leave well enough alone. He broke the ultimate order: NEVER TOUCH MY COMPUTER. This morning it was dysfunctional, no Internet, programs lost or misplaced. Still how could I yell at him? I mean he’d gone to great lengths to give me a new bathroom, one that when complete will rival any Better Homes and Gardens one.

Was I angry? You bet. But I tamped it down, called and asked if he knew what the problem was, and then corrected it. All the while remembering that he is going to do this work and make it perfect.

All weekend we shopped, measured, exchanged too short things for ones that were “just right” and then I find something else that I’m going to have to exchange for something different; I also still need paint and drywall, spackle and whatever else he put on the list.

And next time he touches my computer I’m going to have to recall this weekend and try to overlook this tiny indiscretion.

Writing hasn’t even been thought of since last Thursday, so I need to get off my duff and get to work. These books aren’t going to write themselves, no matter how much I wish they could.

See you all soon!

Huggles and Happy Reading!
Donica