Drive To Decide
Mrs. Hyde Speaks Up
I am physically and mentally sick. I feel awful and none of the cold medicine I’ve tried can help me breathe easier. The added stress and tension aren’t helping and I’m completely miserable. I just want to curl up in bed, throw the covers over my head and tell Mr. Hyde to take a long walk off a short pier.
I am faced with a decision I don’t want to make. Do I have Mr. Hyde come with me on the trip or make the long drive with my son alone? Ten hours in a car driving normally wouldn’t bother me, but with my nasty cold, the idea is a bit scary. What if my medicine wears off and it’s 70 miles until the next rest stop? What if my body aches, fever and fatigue make it hard for me to stay awake? Can I effectively blow my nose with one hand while the other is driving the car 70 miles per hour on a windy stretch of highway?
After lunch with Mr. Hyde where he left the decision to me, I frantically considered all the options. I felt manipulated and guilty for wanting to go alone. I would be gone until after Christmas Day leaving him home alone. Then I would be coming back with all three of my kids including the teenage daughter he hates. If I had left him alone on Christmas Day would he really be nice to me or the kids? More than likely he would be pissy and nasty because I hadn’t been there for him.
Despite the possible negatives, I was leaning toward going alone when he took the decision from me. When he came home that evening and saw how physically sick I was with my nasty cold, he made the decision to go. “You can’t drive in that condition. There is no way you can go without me.”
I ran out to the drug store and picked up some other cold medicines, determined to find a miracle combination to help clear me up. When Saturday morning rolled around, I took my cocktail of drugs and announced I felt better, but he didn’t buy it. He was going and we packed up the car, dropped the dog at the kennel and headed out. He was determined to be my chauffer for the trip and being an eternally foolish optimist, I felt a mixture of apprehension and relief.
