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#FOWC, challenge, children, forehead, FOWC, L&M, memoirs, memories, musings, postaday, second born, SeptemberMusings, sons
Things can go wrong within the four walls of the house as easily as it can go wrong in the playground. This I learnt a quarter century ago when the Second Born, seven at the time, tripped and fell in his room. All morning he had been out playing cricket with his newfound friends in the neighborhood we had just moved into, but the minute he was safely back inside the house, he fell and hurt himself.
As falls go it was quite minor, but there was a gash to one side of his forehead. One look at him and I knew he’d need stitches. The L&M and I had been busy all morning trying to get the house in order. He would be leaving soon for his work place and there was still a lot to be done. He was in fact about to leave on an errand to get curtain roods when the fall happened.
I sent the First Born racing downstairs to stop him. We needed to go to the doctor. At the hospital, the doctor confirmed my fears, the boy needed stitches. As he was being prepped, believe it or not, the L&M told me he was going with the orderly to get the curtain rods. ‘What the heck!’ I remember thinking to myself. ‘Your boy is getting stitches and you are in a hurry to get the curtain rods!‘ The curtain rods weren’t going to fly away if there was a delay of a few hours, would they? Anyway, I kept the thoughts to myself and told him of course he could leave.
Meanwhile, the son kept calling me to his side. He wanted me to hold his hand. That’s something that has always calmed him and I knew he needed me by his side. But the nurse wouldn’t let me step into the room. Luckily the doctor breezed in just then and when apprised of events immediately said, of course I could stay. You wouldn’t faint on me would you, he joked when I walked in. I assured him I wouldn’t and I didn’t.
That’s when it struck me, the reason the L&M had been in a hurry to get away.
He never could bear to see the children getting their shots while babies. It had always been me taking them to get their jabs. If at all he happened to be in the room, he would turn his face away. How then could he have remained and watched one of them getting a gash sewed up? The curtain rods were a ruse to be away from the place and the situation. He was back in time though to take us home.
© Shail Mohan 2021
This brings thirty days of #SeptemberMusings to an end. What’s in store for October? Hibernation or continuation? Time will tell as it always does. Thank you, for reading, as always.
Shail's Nest 
My husband has always left the blood and gore to me too. I have enjoyed your September musings very much.
We are in the same boat, Anne 😄 And thank you for the appreciation!
Goodness, second post in a row that I relate to.
Ahh, you too!
My grandfather was in the military police in Calcutta when my grandmother was pregnant with my mother. When it came to time for the birth my grandfather insisted on being present. He was used to seeing many bloody and unpleasant things, the birth of his child would be nothing.
As you might guess, the instant things started he fainted and was out for the count for the entire proceedings. My grandmother loved to tell the story, especially how the nurses spent more time fussing over her husband than they did her and the baby!