Even though it's only February, the trees have started blooming, the weather is mild and balmy, spring is in the air. With this added heat come wasps...at least here in Texas. The wasp is Gavin's nemesis. Winter is Gavin's favorite season because it is the only one in which the wasp doesn't plague his very existence.
We were driving around town with the windows down the other afternoon enjoying the fresh, warm air that brings on Spring Fever. We had not a care in the world. We also had the dog with us. Gavin and the dog were sitting gleefully in the very back of the car, reading a book and looking out the window, respectively.
We had just pulled into a parking lot when out of nowhere Gavin let out a blood curdling scream. Gavin is a very proficient, loud, panicky screamer. It has a very 'girl-like' quality to it. It stopped me in my tracks. I glance in my rear-view mirror thinking maybe the dog bit off his head (that's the only thing I could imagine would warrant that excessive of a scream). But no....Gavin was screaming something incoherently about a wasp.
I rolled my eyes. I am well aware of his propensity to over exaggerate when it comes to wasps. He could be within 25 yards of a wasp and scream and run with arms flailing wildly. So, I thought maybe he just saw one outside his window. I tried to speak calmly to him to help calm him down, but the panic in his voice only went up a notch and he was crying real tears. I decided then that something was definitely wrong. It was also then that I saw a wasp circling around the back window, dangerously close to Gavin and Ninja.
He's still screaming, "A HORNET, A HORNET!!!" Those were the only words I actually could make out. I screeched into a parking spot, jumped out of the car, ran around back and opened the trunk/hatchback lid so that he could jump out the back faster than making a dive over the other row of seats in front of him. In his non-reasoning state of mind, he totally didn't see my efforts as trying to help him. Instead, he nose-dives headfirst over the next middle row of seats. Meanwhile, the dog has jumped out of the car and started running thru the busy parking lot. I ensue in chase. Now Chloe is crying and Bennett is freaking out. This is the perfect state of affairs to be in when your husband is out of town and you are 'in charge'. All my children in hysterics, gathered in and around my car with all the doors open as well as the trunk and trying to chase the dog. Lovely.
I go over to the side door that Gavin is trying in vain to reach. Apparently, he got all tangled up in the seat belt and is literally hanging upside down, his feet up at the roof, his head on the floorboard. I thought I heard him say something about him stubbing his finger. Go figure, if you trying to get out of the car like that, you're bound to stub something. I impatiently ask him if he can get himself out of the car yet. He's desperately trying, but still bawling uncontrollably. I was just about undone by his over exaggeration of just seeing a wasp.
How can a mother be so wrong? Come to find out, after he awkwardly removed all his limbs from the car, the first time he screamed was when he was actually stung. The whole finger stubbing thing was him saying/mumbling, "My finger got stung." All this time I thought he was just freaking out about the possibility of getting stung when in actuality, it had already happened and he was trapped in the car with his nemesis taunting him again and again in the backseat. I think I would have tried to take a diving leap out of the backseat as well if I were him. How could our mis-communication have gone so wrong?!
So there was our little party, still looking very awkward in the parking lot. I am now rummaging thru my purse looking for a benadryl to stop any allergic reaction. Then I have to do a bomb-squad level search of the car looking for the offender. I checked it thrice before I deemed it safe to get back into. The children just stared at me, too scared and forlorn to re-enter the scene of the crime. Thus, making me go back and scan for the dreaded monster yet a fourth time. Needless to say, everyone was on edge the whole ride home. We did end up finding some ice to rest on his finger that got stung to keep the swelling down. By the time we were half-way home, we were all in stitches reliving this crazy drama.
Bring on the Spring Fever - we're ready!
