WARNING: This post is mostly about me venting. It's way too long and you will probably lose interest after the first sentence or two. To make it slightly more appealing to anybody who decides to continue reading, I'll add a few pictures, even if they aren't relevant. Feel free to skip this one and come back tomorrow.
A year or two ago I got a call from a friend who needed to take her baby (that's Kara on the left)to the doctor and they needed a ride. I was more than happy to help her out and if all had gone well I wouldn’t be writing about it now. However, while I was helping her get the baby and all the paraphernalia that comes with a baby into the doctor’s office, I fumbled with my keys and they ended up at the bottom of an elevator shaft. After several months and many, many calls to the doctor and to the elevator company, my keys were finally located. Happy day! However, before they notified me to come pick them up, the doctor lost them and they have never been seen since. Sad day! Being the cheapskate that I am, combined with the fact that I am a fairly stubborn person when it comes to “the principle of the thing”, I refuse to pay the Mazda dealership $150+ for a new key to our Tribute (something like $65 for the key and another $95 to program it to actually work). That decision has caused me more grief than I ever imagined.
I’m getting to the part where Phil is in trouble.
We now have one key to our Tribute that is not attached to either of our key chains. I have locked the Tribute key in the car twice since they elevator incident. Thanks to my dear friends who are members of AAA, those incidents have been relatively minor inconveniences. I have also taken off in the Protégé with the Tribute key in my purse leaving Phil stranded at home. That’s happened too many times for me to count, and it always results in me having to return home to give Phil the key. Each time he gets exasperated and asks/tells me to “Go get another key!” Up to this point I’ve held my ground, while researching alternatives to getting a key from the dealership.
Although I’m definitely coming across as not real bright at this point, Phil really is the one who is in trouble. I’m getting there.
So, yesterday morning Phil left home to drop Noah off on his way to work. I stayed home to get Adam off to school before I also left for work. As Adam and I were heading out the door, I came to the sick realization that I didn’t have my keys – any of them. Phil had the Tribute and although the Protégé was sitting in the garage, my Protégé key was sitting on my desk at work. The day before I had used my keys to get something out of Phil’s office – FOR PHIL – and then I left my keys sitting on my desk when I went home. I didn’t miss my keys because I drove home in the Tribute. When I realized that I was stranded yesterday morning, I took a deep breathe (to prepare for the “puh-lease get another key” lecture that I knew was coming) and then called Phil to see if he would come get me. I’m actually happy to say that although he forced a chuckle and I’m certain that there was a pretty major eye roll on his end of the phone, there really wasn’t much of a lecture. He brought my keys to me and then we returned to work without too much agony.
So far, so good, but the trouble part is on the horizon.
A year or two ago I got a call from a friend who needed to take her baby (that's Kara on the left)to the doctor and they needed a ride. I was more than happy to help her out and if all had gone well I wouldn’t be writing about it now. However, while I was helping her get the baby and all the paraphernalia that comes with a baby into the doctor’s office, I fumbled with my keys and they ended up at the bottom of an elevator shaft. After several months and many, many calls to the doctor and to the elevator company, my keys were finally located. Happy day! However, before they notified me to come pick them up, the doctor lost them and they have never been seen since. Sad day! Being the cheapskate that I am, combined with the fact that I am a fairly stubborn person when it comes to “the principle of the thing”, I refuse to pay the Mazda dealership $150+ for a new key to our Tribute (something like $65 for the key and another $95 to program it to actually work). That decision has caused me more grief than I ever imagined.
I’m getting to the part where Phil is in trouble.
We now have one key to our Tribute that is not attached to either of our key chains. I have locked the Tribute key in the car twice since they elevator incident. Thanks to my dear friends who are members of AAA, those incidents have been relatively minor inconveniences. I have also taken off in the Protégé with the Tribute key in my purse leaving Phil stranded at home. That’s happened too many times for me to count, and it always results in me having to return home to give Phil the key. Each time he gets exasperated and asks/tells me to “Go get another key!” Up to this point I’ve held my ground, while researching alternatives to getting a key from the dealership.
Although I’m definitely coming across as not real bright at this point, Phil really is the one who is in trouble. I’m getting there.
So, yesterday morning Phil left home to drop Noah off on his way to work. I stayed home to get Adam off to school before I also left for work. As Adam and I were heading out the door, I came to the sick realization that I didn’t have my keys – any of them. Phil had the Tribute and although the Protégé was sitting in the garage, my Protégé key was sitting on my desk at work. The day before I had used my keys to get something out of Phil’s office – FOR PHIL – and then I left my keys sitting on my desk when I went home. I didn’t miss my keys because I drove home in the Tribute. When I realized that I was stranded yesterday morning, I took a deep breathe (to prepare for the “puh-lease get another key” lecture that I knew was coming) and then called Phil to see if he would come get me. I’m actually happy to say that although he forced a chuckle and I’m certain that there was a pretty major eye roll on his end of the phone, there really wasn’t much of a lecture. He brought my keys to me and then we returned to work without too much agony.
So far, so good, but the trouble part is on the horizon.
I relate all of those details to help make my point. I ran around like crazy for 4 hours doing a ton of things. The one thing that I forgot to do didn’t occur to me until morning . . . when I went to grab my purse . . . and my keys . . . to head out the door to drop Adam off at school on my way to work . . .after Phil had already left . . . in the Tribute . . . with my purse still hidden under the front seat . . . where I had crammed it so that it would be out of sight while we rode our bikes. Doh!!!
This is what you have been waiting for, where I explain why Phil is in trouble even though I’m the one that’s not looking so good in this story so far.
After I sent Adam off to school on foot for the second day in a row, I called Phil. I explained my dilemma. Phil’s response? He said something about meetings, offered a brief lecture about me not using my frontal lobe, and then gave me the number for the bus that comes closest to our house. When it became clear that he wasn’t kidding, and that he wasn't going to bring me my keys, I got off the phone and then ignored the phone when he called back a few minutes later with a better response. (Phil accuses me of playing the martyr in situations like this, and he's probably right.) I was bugged, but not completely mad until I found myself sitting on the bus an hour later, stuck at the train tracks for close to 45 minutes while 1/2 of one train car blocked the road. It's amazing how much stewing can be done in that situation, and I'm a pretty good stewer.
One thing that I realized while sitting on that bus is that martyrs, although they may make their point, usually end up dead.
7 comments:
I fail to see the reason that it's Phil's fault. It's clear to me that it's Sue's fault. Or your Bishop's by calling you to this position in YW. Maybe it's mom's fault because she was feminine and showed you how to carry a purse instead of a wallet.... that right there would be reason enough to blame her! You can't really put keys in a wallet, now could you? What about your pants pocket, Butch?
I have no idea why I'm on Phil's side. That almost NEVER happens! I think I just get a giggle when I picture you on UTA. heh heh
I can't believe that with that marathon post I failed to be clear in why Phil was in trouble. The situation wasn't at all his fault. He was in trouble (it was yesterday so I'm already over it) because he didn't seem to care at all that I was stuck. He should have rescued me instead of lecturing me. After I managed to get to work, he came into my office and I told him that I wasn't talking to him - not because it was his fault, but because I couldn't count on him to bail me out.
And no matter what you say, you are on my side because you are my sister. You can claim Phil's side all you want, but it doesn't matter because I get you. That's the least you can do in return for all of the money that you stole from me when we were growing up.
I think I'd rather just pay you back with money.
Remember Chica, I "get" dad. You "get" mom. That right there speaks to me that you do NOT "get" me. Think about it.
And I'm making a stance right now. I do NOT "get" dad. I don't want either of them to be completely truthful. I'm already "getting" Myrn but she's going to be put into a home at the first sign of trouble. (Sorry, Myrn).
It seems to me that you should have been more grateful for the time Phil giggled instead of lecturing you. You can't hardly blame the guy for reaching his limit with your key frustrations.
I enjoyed the marathon post, btw.
Signed, your ever-loving sister.
Let me clarify - You're right, I don't "get" you which is a fact that I'm pretty okay with, much like you are okay with not "getting" dad. But, I do get you on my side in situations like this one. You can argue the point all you want, but there's no escaping it. You are backing me up and that's the end of it.
Ooooooo, so close! I was just about to consider giving in when Phil's marvelous post ended up on my screen. Again, SO SORRY, but I'm on Phil's side. It seems that you left out a few minor details. And who would have known how right I was on it being Sue's fault!!
Ah-HA!!!!!!!! I'm on Phil's side, no question.
I'll get to Phil - my response to his post is going to take more than a second to write so it will have to wait until I get home. Just let me say that he painted himself as the victim pretty darn well. At least I admitted to my shortcomings . . . his point of view was very generous to his side of our initial phone conversation.
And you are on my side. You need to realize that whether I'm completely, 100% wrong (which I'm not), you are still on my side. That's just how it is so stop trying to argue about it.
Family Feud...this is good!
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