We were home alone Tuesday and seeing that the house was empty, we were awake, and we rarely get any privacy with a 15 year old at home, we decided to take a ride. A bike ride! (Get your mind out of the gutter!)

About a mile in, I had to make him stop because my knees were complaining--I told him to go on and I would be right behind him, eventually.

As he pedaled away I noticed my front tire was flat (I'd just spent a couple of days trying to get a new tire on the bike, and finally I let him do it with his super-thumbs). I hollered after him and told him to go on and I would walk home. "are you sure?" "ya, ya, go finish the ride". He's training for a ride and I'm not so I didn't want to interrupt his training, and there was only about an hour of daylight left.

Since I was near the town trail, I decided to take that way home. I walked about 50 yards with my road shoes on and decided I could walk gingerly in my socks and not bother my knees so much, so I took the shoes off. (I encountered 3 cyclists on the trail and not a one of them asked if they could help, by the way.)

Midway home I stopped at a friend's diner and took in a glass of water and had a visit, rested my knees. Texted husband that I'd stopped there. Stayed about 20 minutes, and then continued pushing the bike home. About half way there I realized I was getting blisters on the balls of my feet from walking so gingerly (I do NOT like walking on rocks, but I thought I was protecting my knees. HA!).

Finally home and hobbling, I walk down the hall to the bathroom to find that he is IN THE SHOWER! What the...? He came all the way home, found I wasn't there, and instead of calling me to find out where he can pick me up, he gets in the SHOWER???

His lame-o excuse was that he thought I came home, changed the tube and went out again?? He knew I couldn't get the new tire on by myself. Grrrrr...

So, allow me to rant and get this off my chest.

I'm feeling much anger over this, mostly because, although he did act sheepish, he never actually apologized--just made excuses. I feel like the kid who got left at the rest stop on the family vacation. Except it's not funny. Now I have blisters on my feet and my IT band is irritated so much more for walking with my toes up, and it may not be well enough to ride my bike in Vermont next month! I can't work out because of the blister on my right foot and so the goals I've been trying to get motivated to reach are on hold yet again due to something ELSE, like it has been for months! I used to think he was a considerate person, but now I think he's just becoming a self-centered old man! I'm trying to have a sense of humor about it, but his inconsiderateness is having real consequences for me, and therefore I can't laugh. And to top it off, our son is making excuses for him, too! There's so much more that I can't articulate because I'm so MAD!



Karen