Best Laid Plans of Mice

I think I've spoken about plans and how they sometimes Just Don't Work the way we want them to.

A couple of weeks ago, the family suddenly decided to be gone for the bulk of the day and night.  My oldest was out of town, my youngest was going to sleep over at a friend's house after spending the day working on a group project, and my wife was with a friend, then going to a show and would be home late.

I could spend the day as Meg and not worry about when I got home ~ I always tell her when I'm going to dress, and I'd certainly tell her that Meg might be getting home after her so she could welcome/confront/avoid as she felt fit.

It was a work day, so I planned to get home early and go out maybe for dinner and who knows what afterwards.  It was also a stormy day.

As I drove down the main street of my neighborhood, I saw police tape blocking the street.  About 50 feet further down was another strip blocking traffic from that direction.  I saw a pedestrian and asked what was going on.  A broken tree branch, he explained, was lying on a power line and they blocked the street in case it decided to fall onto oncoming traffic.

I turned around, made the first right, went to the end of the road, made another right, and came in through the other side of the neighborhood.  No more problems.

Except power was out.  Meg can do many things, but putting on makeup by candlelight is not one of them.  Game over.

This past Saturday night, my freshman son decided he was going to the homecoming dance at his high school.  It would be a stag group, and then he was going to sleep over at one of the other kid's house.  My wife was again going to a show with a friend.  Cool, except everything Meg is at my apartment.  I haven't moved in because there is no furniture there yet.

(Aside: she did ask if I want to go to each show; for the past few months, time alone with her has been a painful, unhappy time and I declined.  I asked her to just let us try to enjoy ourselves; I tell her to change the subject; I just change the subject.  Nothing I can think of works.  So I decline.)

At bedtime, she was still out and... earlier that day I had moved all of my nighties to the apartment.  As much as I'd prefer to wear a nightgown to bed instead of pajamas (even though they're girl pj's), I wasn't about to drive to the apartment, get a nightie, and drive back.

Frankie Mouse: "the best laid plans of mice..."
Arthur Dent: "... and men."
Frankie: "what?"
Arthur: "and men.  'The best laid plans of mice and men...'"
Frankie: "what have men got to do with it?"

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