Kind Deeds Bestowed by the Unlikely

I started the day in the usual way. Nicky and Christian were up first so I gathered up the baby and headed downstairs to make oatmeal. The only time I'll complain that my sweat pants are getting too loose is today because I slipped on the extra fabric hanging at my feet and fell down the last five stairs and landed on the tile. The baby never touched the ground; I took one for the team. While I was writhing a horrified Nicky stood above me asking questions and making know-it-all statements.

"Mom, is Christian ok?"

and then in a motherly tone...

"You were walking down the stairs too fast. Don't you know it's dangerous to fall down the stairs with a baby?"

My sister Kelly says it proves I'm a good mother that I didn't yell out something profane like, "no shit Sherlock!" For the record, I didn't. Nicky never asked if I was ok but I'll forgive her. She later brought ice for my very broken and purple little toe.

Because of my toe I was later rescued by an unlikely hero. It snowed in Sacramento (which I hear is very, very unusual). I took the kids to a Chucky Cheese-like pizza buffet place to burn off their energy since it was so cold. They each got a balloon on the way out. They were more excited about the balloons than they were about the ten dollars of games/rides they'd just had. It was because of my sore toe that I couldn't chase Nicky's red balloon when the chilly wind blew it off the stick. It bobbed through the parking lot and she screamed and cried as only Nicky can.

As I said, Knights in shining armor come in unlikely forms. I've been noticing teenagers around this place lately and I haven't been impressed. There was a group of teenage couples at the park the other day. Their mode of dress and use of language left me nauseated. The scantily clad girls looked like cheap street walkers and the boys looked like scraggly ten year olds. I prayed my sweet babies would never morph into these gruesome creatures. So imagine my surprise when it was teenagers who came to the rescue of our balloon. Suddenly an old faded Toyota Camry with a golden steering wheel came screaming up to us and the lanky, black-clothed teenage boys within yelled out, "we're going to get your balloon!" The car jerked and twisted off toward the runaway balloon. When said balloon was retrieved the car came speeding back and the passenger side boy flashed me a sharp, yellow toothed grin and handed me Nicky's treasure. I laughed and smiled and thanked the boys, loving them for what they did. Sure the hooligans should have beeen in school but they'd saved me a 15 minute trip home with screaming child in the backseat. I handed the balloon to my girl with the relieved and tear stained face.

Luke Skywalker once said about his father Darth Vadar, "there is still good in him." I must admit there is still good in the sector of mankind known as teenagers. I'm going to go ahead and let us coexist in peace. And, if my kids decide to grow into some of them one of these days, I'll love them anyway.