Rachel texted me yesterday morning and said she was done with her lifeguarding (she lifeguards at a public indoor pool on weekends, for those people that are thinking it’s weird that she is lifeguarding in January), and asked if I wanted to meet her downtown for lunch somewhere. She picked a place and I told her I’d get out there as soon as I could.
Jayson had only been home from work for a few hours and was trying to get some sleep, and he was a little annoyed when I told him I was headed out and asked him to watch the kids. I felt bad because I know he needs sleep, so I agreed to take my son with me. The girls need less attention and can be OK alone with dad sleeping in the other room. So, suddenly I am taking an infant with me downtown and I’m scrambling to get everything ready so I can get out the door, knowing that Rachel is waiting for me.
It’s been snowing out so I decided not to drive. I bundled the baby up for the cold weather and we headed down to the T. We didn’t have to wait long, and I was proud that I got to the restaurant in record time. After greeting Rachel, I took my jacket off and sat down. She was staring at me with this weird half laughing and half judgmental look. I didn’t know why at first. Then she said, “You came out in your pajamas?”
Completely embarrassed. I had been in such a hurry to get the baby ready and leave, that I forgot to get dressed. And I wasn’t wearing the kind of pajamas that could pass for casual lounge wear. I was clearly in pajamas. I wanted to put my jacket back on to at least make it less obvious, but I was wearing such a heavy jacket that it didn’t seem practical.
The worst part of the experience was that even as clearly embarrassed as I was, Rachel seemed to want to insult me about my “carelessness.” She kept saying things like she didn’t understand how I could put my socks and boots on and not notice that I was putting them over pajama bottoms. I was near tears with frustration about her not just letting it drop, and I said, “You don’t know what it’s like to be a mom.”
Yeah, I played the mom card. I wasn’t really thinking though. I didn’t know until recently that her and Guy have been wanting to be parents and have been facing nothing buy obstacles in trying to adopt. Suddenly she burst into tears. Seeing her cry made me feel bad and I started crying too. What a weird table it must have seemed like to other people at the restaurant. Two crying women, one wearing pajamas, with a baby.
She gave us a ride home, and I was happy I didn’t have to take the subway back.
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