sick and dazed

Every day there is an adventure here. Some days I handle it with equanimity, others I’m less than adult about it all. Today is Christmas and we spent the day relaxing. The tradition down here is to open presents at midnight on Christmas Eve, so we were up very late. We went to Laura’s house first thing this morning for the traditional Christmas breakfast of menudo. It smelled awful, according to Mom, but I tasted it anyway. Yik. Can I have some scrambled eggs instead?

I’ve been fighting a cold or an infection for the past week. I started out taking cold medicine, but switched to penicillin as I thought it was an infection. But it’s still not gone, so Pati suggested I get an injection of medicine. Apparently you can purchase injectable medication over the counter here, along with the needle. So around 4 in the afternoon, I was laying on my bed watching Cynthia prep my next round of medication, my pants pulled down to expose my haunches. She was very professional. She rubbed my butt with a cotton swab doused with alcohol. Rub, rub, rub, stick, rub. I barely noticed when the needle punctured my skin.

We had decided to open the bar today to see if we would get any business. But with the cold and the massive amounts of various medicines racing around my body, I decided it was a good night to stay at home. Around two in the morning I woke up, still drugged from the medication. Luis was nowhere to be found. My mind went into overdrive. He had left the bar and was out with friends, partying. He was off doing something that was fun for him, forgetting me completely. I looked outside. The Murano wasn’t there, but the Cadillac was. I debated. I looked to see if the Cadi keys were on the key holder, they were. I went back to the room and pulled on a fleece and my shoes. I went out and opened the Cadi, got in. Tried to turn the key in the ignition, but it wouldn’t budge. I was getting more and more frustrated. Where the hell was Luis, why was he out there having a good time without me, why couldn’t he care about me enough to call or come home? And why wouldn’t this damn Cadi start?! I went back inside and put on Luis’ peacoat and grabbed my bike.

When I got to the bar, I heard music blaring. What was I going to find inside? My mind raced with various unacceptable scenarios. I walked in. The place was packed. Luis was standing at the register, surprised to see me. He hadn’t been drinking or partying or having fun without me. We were just busy.

Merry Christmas to me.