Our Little Corner - What Could Go Wrong, Indeed

Our Little Corner

Sep. 6, 2008

What Could Go Wrong, Indeed

This evening we went to a barbecue at Mike's boss Steve and his wife Jen's house. It started out great. There were tons of people there from Mike's work and lots of delicious food. There was also a Caribbean theme with music and decorations. Good times, right? It was going to be fun, and it was all geared toward a big announcement Steve was going to make about a company trip to the Bahamas that people could possibly win.

So. Not long after we arrived Zach mentioned that he didn't feel great. Both Mike and I thought maybe he was just hungry, so we told him to drink some punch and grab some hors d'oeuvres and he'd be fine. Do you have any inkling where this is going yet? Zach drank some punch, but then came back saying he still didn't feel right, and now he looked very pale. I helped him lay down on a couch in a quiet, out of the way spot while I figured out what to do. On the one hand I wanted to take him home, but on the other I didn't want to be rude and "eat and run." Besides, Mike had to be a part of this presentation that was going to take place. It was a tough call, but finally I made a decision to stay after Zach told me he was starting to feel a bit better. I figured, okay, he seems fine for now and at least he's away from the crowd and resting. What could go wrong?

I got my first really bad feeling when Steve started rounding up all the adults and herding them into the living room...the same room in which Zach was resting. I went in first and quickly told him that he'd better move upstairs to one of the bedrooms, but he insisted he was a lot better and could sit up, which he did. By now other people were filling the room, so I took a seat, too.

Finally everyone was situated and Steve took his place in front of the crowd. He thanked everyone for coming and he began the whole grand unveiling of the Bahamas trip. Just as he turned around to fire up the power point, Zach leapt up, whipped his hands toward his mouth to try to hold back the inevitable, and then hurled. And I mean HURLED. There were waves and waves of vomit. It was everywhere and it just kept coming. And did I mention the vomit was red from the punch and now it was all over their carpet? You know those "time stood still" moments? I had one. I was basically paralyzed. Oh, I stood up only a fraction of a second after Zach, but I was rooted to spot, only capable of saying, "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Finally I snapped out of it and started moving him toward the nearest bathroom, which was not nearly near enough. He left a trail. A red trail.

When it was all over and it was just the two of us in that little bathroom, Zach looked up at me from his position next to the toilet and said, "I feel so much better! I could really go for one of those steaks now!" No, I didn't give the kid a steak. I wasn't an idiot through the entire evening, just the part that mattered. What I did do was take the poor kid home, armed with plastic grocery bags in case he wasn't done (He wasn't.), and put him to bed. But every cloud has a silver lining, as they say. In this case it was Steve and Jen's Teflon carpet protector. May I go on record right now as saying: It really works!

Sue

• Send to a Friend!

About Me

I'm Sue and I'm happily married to my best friend in the world, Mike. We have three children: Zach (13), Drew (10), and Baylee (7). This blog will be about our homeschooling experiences and just life in general.