4 x 14 = 96

The younger generation has a sense of entitlement that takes some getting used to, including the teen next door informing her mother, who then informed me, that while her mother was out-of-state, the girl would be staying with me. I often fumble when caught unprepared, and I stood there, mouth agape, and could not think of one single reason to say no, although I really, really did not want to say yes. It’s not that I do not like the girl, but dealing with teens is a challenge for a senior citizen who has done just that for the past 35 years of her professional life.

But, because anyone who knows me also knows that I seldom say no, I agreed. Her mother was leaving Thursday evening and returning late Sunday evening, so I faced 4 days with a 14-year-old girl, a long 96 hours looming large. Making matters even more ominous, I started sneezing during my class Wednesday night and woke up Thursday morning feeling awful: raw throat, coughing, sneezing, pounding headache, the typical symptoms portrayed by actors in cold/flu/seasonal allergy commercials. I called the mother and told her that I was sick, but the mother had no options, so we were all in for the weekend.

I am pleased to say that it went well. While my guest went to school Friday, I spent the day in bed with my dogs keeping me both company and warm. I gulped Night-Quil and cough medicine, chased with a couple of Aleve, and toughed it out. When the phone call came at 4 pm to tell me that my guest was staying after school, it took me a minute to realize that she should already have been here: school lets out at 3:00 pm. A bit slow on the uptake, I said okay because there was no choice. I am used to being asked for parental permission, not being told a child’s plan after the fact, but this was not a battle I was going to have with a fatigued body, a befuddled mind, and a box of Kleenex in my hand!

Saturday was a much better day, but I was still woozy. We went to the grocery store and bought the ingredients for a chicken casserole and assembled it prior to heading out to a movie and lunch. During lunch we chatted, me carrying the conversational ball more often than she, but had a nice time. I sent her to an age-appropriate comedy, while I enjoyed a much more serious The King’s Speech. When we returned home, I told her I had Netflix available, so she settled down for the duration. Her dog came with her, which made for a lot of fun as the 3 dogs played, then protected their respective owner. However, when her dog decided to settle on my ample warm lap, he backed off both of my female dogs with a low, steady growl. Realizing the dominant 4-pound male Cheewahwah was going to win that battle, my dogs settled for staking their claim on his owner’s lap.

Sunday morning was our confrontation: when my guest told me she was going home, but would be back in a few minutes, I said fine and off she went. My phone began ringing and it was her mother, obviously upset and wanting to talk to her daughter, who was not answering her phone. I told her that her girl had gone home, but would be back in a few minutes. She wasn’t. I finally realized that her phone was again ringing and found it in the guestroom bed, buried under a heap of blankets. That’s when I had my ah-ha moment: my guest had been gone for over an hour, not a few minutes, and could be in distress without any way to communicate that to me.

In a panic, I threw on some clothes, then headed for the garage door on my way to the house next door. As I raised the garage door, she came into view and I went for the “typical Mom” response: where the HELL have you been? You TOLD me you would be gone a few minutes, and you’ve been gone an hour! Your MOM has been calling and she’s worried sick because you haven’t been answering your PHONE!

If looks could kill, I’d have keeled over dead on my garage floor. She was pissed at me for challenging her because she told me where she was and it was no big deal. Yes, she’d left her phone at my house, but so what? She was watching a movie and, when it was finished, she came back. She brought me a carton of eggs because we were going to make waffles (an hour earlier) and stalked into the house.

Well, that took me aback, but I followed her in and told her that I was worried about her safety, especially when I realized that she did not have her phone with her. I explained to her that I’m not her “babysitter,” but that she is a guest in my home and owes me basic common courtesy while she’s under my care. She stewed for a while, but I made the waffles as promised. While we were eating, she apologized, breaking the tension. We chatted a bit, then retired to the sofas for some serious Sunday TV viewing, including programs I had DVRd and her newly-discovered Netflix option. We made a batch of brownies, ate PF Chang left-overs and chicken casserole, and just enjoyed doing a whole lot of nothing.

I woke her up at 9:30 pm last night so she could toddle home to her own bed: Mom was en route and missed her daughter. This was the first time that Mom had left her little girl with anyone other than family, so she was concerned about how things had gone and wanted to tuck her girl in herself. I shared that feeling 100%, having raised my own two children back when. I was happy to tell her mom truthfully that it went well.

I will consider saying yes if I’m asked again. Really. Not that I want to be asked right away or anything, but if it does come up again … well, I'll at least think about saying yes, even though I may say no if I have something else on my schedule.