Wednesday, October 12, 2011

I thought I was over it

The hijacking that is. It's been 18 months and you'd think I wouldn't be having issues. But I am. I went to the local mall yesterday morning, just an average grocery run, nothing special. I parked, went in and paid for everything I wanted. When I came out to the car, I hesitated. Right next to my car was a ute with 3 young black men sitting in the open back. It took me probably all of 5 minutes to unload the cart and get into the car, all while my heart was beating up in my throat. I kept expecting them to jump out and do something, anything. Instead, they sat there talking quietly to each other while I had a mini breakdown. I felt ill when I got home.

Friday, October 07, 2011

The Tooth Mouse is revealed

C is very clever. I should have known sooner rather than later that one day she'd find out that Himself and I are the Tooth Mouse.

This morning started out pretty much like any other. She got out of bed, came to greet me and made herself some cereal. Then she asked if she could watch a bit of tv. I told her that while it was still too early (it was 7am) if she did her chores for the morning then she could. I made up a list for her and didn't think anything of it. Until that is, she came to me and asked me to write one specific word, a word that completely and utterly unmasked my alter ego.

See, sometime last year during a particularly viscious thunder and rain storm, one of her teeth came out. She put it in her shoe with a piece of cheese and went to sleep. At 5am the next morning, Himself and I woke as usual and realised that we'd forgotten to take the tooth and cheese the night before. As neither one of us had any loose change, I wrote her a note saying that due to the amount of rain, the Tooth Mouse had been unable to collect her tooth and signed it from The Tooth Mouse. She was very upset that her tooth was still in her shoe when she woke and that afternoon after school when I gave her the note she felt a bit better. That night, as soon as she was deeply enough asleep, Himself and I took the tooth and cheese and left her a bit more than we usually do. She was happy and we forgot all about it.

Until today. After I wrote the word she requested, she hauled out that note that the Tooth Mouse had left her and accused me in no uncertain terms of being the Tooth Mouse because the word on the note and the word I had written looked exactly alike. I burst out laughing. I couldn't help myself. I should have denied it all but she caught me totally unawares.

And clever little girl that she is, she said, no demanded, that the next time a tooth comes loose, we will be paying her. The Tooth Mouse might not exist but the money sure does.