I was working late when my office phone rang. Hubby, who has the kids with him, has driven to the airport to greet a German colleague who is in town. As frequently happens, the flight has been delayed, so hubby & kids had some time to kill.
Down south, near the airport, is the well known: "Mall of America" complex and it's newest big addition: IKEA. We have LOTS of IKEA furniture in our house, most of it from the Chicago IKEA.. bought and hauled 8+ hours north to our abode before the IKEA opened in our metro area.
Hubby decided to go to IKEA this evening with the kids, mainly because middle daughter suggested it would be a great place to have dinner while they wait for the guy's plane to arrive.
At this point I must explain that LAST weekend we tried to go to IKEA. We had a birthday party Saturday afternoon in the neighboring south metro suburb Eden Prairie and then decided a trip to IKEA would be good.
I was driving and en route to turning into the IKEA lot a car with Winnipeg plates got in the left lane and I in the right lane, and then once he figured out he'd chosen the wrong lane pulled directly in front of my van, cutting me off and forcing me to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision.
I gave the driver, who very nearly smacked the front of my minivan, a friendly "Hey, Welcome to Minnesota - please learn to obey the traffic laws" sort of greeting... the one finger salute. You know which finger I mean, right?
Well this driver, apparently not used to being called on his appalling driving skills decided he would then stop - and when I say stop, I mean stand on his brakes 10 yards short of the stop sign both our vehicles were approaching in a single lane (MY lane, that he'd cut into). This second test of my brakes pleased me not at all. Then the driver acted as if he was going to get out of his car. He opened his door and started to shout something I could not hear over the din of my air conditioning and screamining children. Just as I was about to go around him and proceed onwards, he closed his door and moved along.
Now I'm in a foul mood. Jeff is criticizing me for not yielding my lane without flipping off the other driver (it was MY lane, and he DID cut me off.. he should have stayed in the left lane, HIS lane..). But, whatever.
As we make our way in the parking garage I start to pull into a parking spot. Just as I'm easing forward, driving straight into the spot a car darts towards us on the left. I see it in my peripheral vision and pause, just to make sure they're not going to ram us. The other driver, a young 20ish woman, takes this pause on my part as her opportunity to slide into the parking spot, just narrowly missing the front of the minivan as she cuts, from the left, into the parking spot.
At first I am stunned into silence. The audacity! Then, almost automatically, the finger goes up. Jeff cannot fault me this time, she CLEARLY almost hit us taking OUR parking spot. So, he just picks on my flipping her off. As he chides me, it makes me even MORE angry. At this point we punt and leave IKEA without ever getting out of our car. I have NO desire to go there and be amongst such agressive icky people.. and now I'm pissed at Jeff, too.
Which brings us back to today... and my proud parenting moment.
Jeff calls and says: "Hey, guess what.. "
He goes on to tell me he went to IKEA with the kids, was on the cell phone talking to a Supplier (business call) and as soon as he pulls into the parking structure at IKEA our youngest (he's just turned 2) starts saying, clear as a bell:
"F%ck you. F%ck you. Mommy." Jeff swears (no pun intended)that he said this 3 times in a row.
Lovely. Just lovely.
Oh for shame. I'm such a crap mom sometimes.
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