In my family we have the tradition of going out and having everything goes wrong. This is such a tradition that we call it the Goodman Wolven's Step Out. I don't know why, after 20 years, I would expect anything different. I shouldn't even blink or succumb to disappointment. It is how it is for us.
Like the one time we went to the 4th of July fireworks in San Francisco at Crissy Field and after they were all done there were no busses to get home. Which was ok, except that we lived completely across town and had a small child with us who was exhausted from a day at the park. We started hiking it home (and with the hills it is hiking). When we stopped at a bus stop after walking for over an hour the sprinklers turned on and soaked us and when the bus finally came we only had a $20 and no one would give us change. My husband swears that these are funny stories now. Not funny at the time, but funny now.
Last night, on our last night with our daughter before she goes back to college, we decided to swim at the house that we are house sitting at, go get burritos, and then go hear a band play in town. An evening plan that seems ok and not filled with potholes - also something totally uncharacteristic of the hermits we have become.
We decided to bring our dog to the house to play with their dogs and then sit next to the pool with us. When we arrived they were all excited to sniff and smell one another, as dogs do. We let them into the foyer of the house to take off the collars of their dogs and get their food when our dog proceeds to pee in the foyer and then in the kitchen. Not just regular pee, but that yellow sticky "here is my smell" pee. I clean that up, feed the dogs, send my dog out with our daughter, and go out to water. All is going well; our dog is outside, theirs are inside, dad and daughter are in the pool, I'm watering, and then I discover that our dog crapped on the porch. I swear, he was overwhelmed with desire to leave a bit of himself at their home. Clean that up...
Dinner was easy and delicious. A giant Garcia Burrito was just what we wanted.
Off to hear the Sideshow Tramps who were in town at a restaurant that has excellent waffle fries. We didn't need waffle fries, but we didn't want to take a table and just order water. That seems a bit rude. So, off to the cafe 10 minutes before the band was supposed to start. An hour and a half later they start their set. At the same time we had nursed our root beer, water, and iced tea all we could. The place had started to fill up and I started to feel guilty for taking a prime table in this tiny patio. So, a song and a half later we gave up our space to a group waiting on the edge.
So it goes. Dogs do what dogs do, bands show up late, and I am - after 20 years - learning to let go of expectations. We'll see how I do the next time we step out.
