Ava woke me up this morning with an unassuming nudge. That’s not the abnormal part, though.
It’s early.
I’d cracked an eye to find Ava nudging my hand with her nose from the side of the bed. Still half-asleep, I thought it was kind of funny. I mean, it’s just so stereotypical... like it could’ve been a scene from a movie. So, in a relatively good mood, I gave her a pat and rolled over; away from the window and the morning light crawling in. Eyes shut, I’m trying to calculate how much more sleep I can get. I tried not to look at the clock—I like not knowing—but I caught a blurry glimpse of it and it said four-something. Alright. Well, at least I can fade out for a bit...
That had been nice.
I was ok with starting my day like that. Now, though, I’m standing just outside the bedroom door and Ava’s throwing up between my legs. The sound of her frantically licking her lips woke me up in a panic. I know that sound. My eyes flew open and I bounced out of bed to find her preparing to hack into the corner by the dresser.
“No, no, no, no, no, no” I pleaded softly while trying to gently escort her to the door without waking Isobel up.
Too late.
I knew we weren’t going to make it. The hacking continued, and Ava’s body was all tensed up so, by the time we reached the doorway, I knew there was no shot of getting her outside in time. With a huge exhale, I realized this was happening—I would be cleaning up whatever came next to start my day.
When I was a kid, things like this would be met with aggressive frustration. If I were the one throwing up, I’d be made well aware of how much of an inconvenience it was by my dad or other family members. For a split-second, I can feel that shame even now. So, looking down at Ava and seeing her shaking, I lower my shoulders and remind myself to unclench my jaw. I reach down to pat her and Isobel, now awake, puts a hand on my back in solidarity.
It’s early. I’m tired. And all I can do at this point is go forward.
Despite the circumstances, I let out a half chuckle at the song that just popped into my head… “Yakety Yak (don’t talk back).”
Our Daily MAP Year Prompt
313/365
How do you handle frustration?
onward.
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