Brilliant … But Bouncy

I Tried My Very Best.

Shane and I were trying to drive through a parking lot. Two cars were simultaneously pulling out of parking spaces, which jammed up traffic in both directions. I was in front of four waiting cars, and a guy in a gold car was waiting on the other side.

I noticed that the gold car had on its turn signal, which told me he was trying to go right. So, when the cars finally pulled out, I hurried forward to get out of his way. He sat on his horn, obviously furious at me.

I rolled down my window. “You had your turn signal on,” I said.

“Yeah,” spat the man, “so I could go into that parking spot!” The parking spot was directly in front of him.

“That’s straight ahead,” I said. “I thought you were going right.”

He spewed horrific obscenities at me – as I rolled up my window and drove away.

I wanted to cry. I had tried so hard to do the right thing.

Half an hour later, Shane and I were home alone – and the phone rang. It was my husband. I couldn’t get to the phone. For some reason, Shane didn’t pick up the phone, either. He stood next to it, and listened to Bill leave a message.

“Why didn’t you answer that?” I screeched. “It was Daddy!”

“I don’t know,” he said. I screeched some more, and he quietly went to his bedroom.

A few minutes later, I went upstairs and sat on his bed.

“I think it would be a good idea if you talked about your feelings,” I said to him.

It was like pulling teeth, but eventually he spoke. “You have taught me for so long,” Shane said, starting to cry, “not to pick up the phone if I don’t recognize the number. And I didn’t know it was Daddy.”

“You didn’t know it was your own father?!” I asked, incredulous.

“No,” he said. We sat in silence for awhile. I lay down on his bed.

“Do you remember that guy in the parking lot?” I said. “I tried so hard to do the right thing. I did the very best I could, and he yelled at me. And he was so mean to me! And I was doing my very best.”

I started to cry. Shane sat silently. Finally, I said, “I tried my very best and he yelled at me. And you tried your very best, and I yelled at you. And I am really sorry that I did that to you. Maybe I wasn’t as mean to you as he was to me. But still, I shouldn’t have yelled. And I’m sorry.”

Shane just stared at me.

“I think we both could use a hug,” I said. He shoved a big, stuffed dog between us and we both hugged the dog – and each other.

Still, he was quiet. Not wanting to miss a teachable moment, I said, “Shane, when someone pours out their heart to you, and cries and stuff, it is usually polite to say something.”

“Well, I don’t really have anything to say,” he said.

“But it’s a good idea to say something anyway,” I said. “Just so the other person knows that you heard what they said.”

He lay quietly for a minute.

“Well, I heard what you said,” Shane told me. “And I forgive you.”