Thursday, March 31, 2005

Get Ready to DUCK, Here comes another one-two punch.

Ruby and I were having coffee with a friend last week when he asked me where I was going to work now that my restaurant had been sold. I told him that he was crazy and must have heard a rumor. My restaurant was not for sale, and I planned to work there until I finished college.

Later that day, I found out that my restaurant had been sold, and that I was out of a job. I was offered a job at another restaurant, but if I take it, someone else will get fired. I hate ethical dilemmas.

Two days later, Ani and Ruby were in a car accident. Everyone is fine; Ruby didn’t even notice, and after several hundred dollars in insurance deductible and rental car fees, the car is good as new. It was just a fender bender, but that call from Ani saying there had been an accident made my lungs seize even though she told me right away that they were fine. I repeat my earlier observation: It is unwise to ask, “What next?”

I could really use a couple of days with relatively low stress.

On the brighter side, Ruby’s birthday was a success.

In true toddler fashion, she enjoyed the boxes and wrapping paper more than any of her presents. It was good to have so many different families together as Ruby's one family. My mother, stepmother, father, grandmother, Ani’s parents and grandmother, and several friends were all together watching Ruby’s smiles and antics. My favorite gift (and I think one of Ruby’s favorites) was the fake ID that Christine made for her. She said that since Ruby was a year old now, she should be able to get into the clubs. Her birth year is '62.

Ruby and I are really enjoying our days together. She seems happier than she has ever been before. She is sleeping great, which makes the rest of the world seem much better than it used to, no matter what happens. She loves to walk, run, climb up and down stairs and she has taken a huge interest in books. She still doesn’t wait for me to read each page before she turns them impatiently with a grunt, but she spends hours grabbing a book from her shelf, bringing it to me, holding it out and saying, “Uh? Uh?” I think t his means, “How about this one? We haven’t read it for five minutes now. Maybe you could make it a little more exciting this time?” Her favorites are The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Peek-a-boo Kisses, Where’s Weenie (even though she’s pulled off all of the pull-up pages) and Ruby’s Beauty Shop (Thanks Charo!)

Thanks to everyone for their kind comments. Even though I haven’t been posting as often as I used to (a problem I intend to rectify), I sign on every day to read the comments from y’all.