Friday, October 3, 2008

A Flash of Brilliance


Daughter has talked about wanting to hang out with friends tonight several times this week. Yesterday she came home and told me Best Friend had invited some of them over to her apartment for supper and movies tonight. It would be two men and two women. Best Friend’s boyfriend, Daughter, and Daughter’s former boyfriend. It was obvious Daughter had some misgivings about this plan, as did I. I won’t even try to list all my concerns, but they were many, to say the least. I suggested Daughter wasn’t real comfortable with this plan, and she agreed. I reminded her she could always say I was the world’s meanest mother and wouldn’t allow her to go. She didn’t like that idea. We went to bed last night with nothing resolved.

This morning Daughter was up with the alarm and listening to her Christian music, which usually means she’s in a great mood and will be pleasant to be around. This morning, though, she was surly, and growling at me for no discernable reason. I asked her what was bothering her, and she said something about the endo. I suspected that was only part the issue. Finally, I said, “You know, I’ve been thinking. What about if instead of hanging at B’s apartment tonight, you and C went to a movie?”

The effect was instantaneous. Her whole demeanor changed and her voice became excited. “There’s a new movie that’s opening tonight and it’s supposed to be really good!” She couldn’t tell me the name, but said it had to do with dogs. I went to the website for the cinema in town, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua is opening tonight. There is a showing at 7:00. She was going to go recruit C to go with her today. C is a woman a little bit older than Daughter and a lot more stable and much safer than the group that will gather at B’s. I haven’t decided what I will do while they’re at the movie, but it will probably be cheaper (and easier) to buy a ticket and go to a movie. I haven’t decided what movie yet, but I’ll figure it out.

Every so often I am able to tell what’s bothering Daughter and offer a suggestion that heads off a major problem. I’m grateful that this morning I had one of those flashes of insight that enabled me to be brilliant.

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