It was just another typical day at work as I ended a call with an irate lady. My coworker swung around the corner of my cube “Geez! Your buyer is awful!”. “Huh” I huffed “she’s one of ours; that’s my account manager”. His jaw dropped. True to form, my account manager had dramatically thrown me under the bus on a call with our buyer AFTER I did exactly what she told me to. I stood up and grabbed my phone and pocketbook “I’m going to see the nurse, that witch gave me a headache” (I think I used a lil’ more French than that lol). No, I’m not such a wimp that I ran to the corporate onsite nurse for a headache, but I was 8 months pregnant and considered high risk. I waddled across the street to the other office.
I was stunned when the nurse took my blood pressure and said “You’re not going back to work. Your blood pressure is really high. You need to go straight to your doctor’s office. NOW.” Great. Just great. Not only was I going to a doctor appointment every time I turned around for last 8 months, but now I had to stop in the middle of the day and drive from Ft. Mill to Rock Hill for a headache. I did not have time for this. I also did not look forward to the 25 drive on this sultry February day either. You see, my car was in the shop getting a new transmission, so I was driving an old red corvette.
Let me paint the picture for you. It was 2006 and I had a 1987 cherry red corvette (look up the car in the movie Teen Wolf 2). From the door window up, I appeared to be young lady in a vintage sports car. You could not see me flop into the seat with my huge pregnant belly, or the couch pillow I had to prop behind my back so I could see over the steering wheel. You also could not see that the AC did not work…and today was unusually hot for a February.
I like driving, it helps me clear my head. But on this drive, I just went through all the bad things. Once I got past all the work I was behind on, my mind easily went to the “what ifs” with this baby. What if something is wrong? What if they put me on bed rest? What if they put me on medicine? I was really getting myself worked up. By now, I was at the last stop light before my doctor’s office and deep in my own thoughts when I heard-
“Hey! You there- Hey!” I looked around and saw an old blue truck with 2 scruffy old men next to me at the stop light waving at me. “Hi” I said dryly and went back to looking in the direction of my doctor’s office.
“Hey lady!” I looked at them. “That’s a nice car!” I was used to this- men loved this car. “Thank you” I said and went back to my worried thoughts.
“Hey!” Ugh- why can’t they just leave me alone. “Yes?”
“You should wash it some time.” OH- the nerve. “It JUST rained yesterday” was my curt response.
“Yeah- but it don’t rain dirty water!” and at the same time, the light changed, they roared with laughter and sped off leaving me speechless. It was too much. The absurdity of being roasted by strangers at a stop light while I drive my pregnant self to my doctor’s office. But I had to admit- they were funny- so I laughed.
Well long story short, I did not go back to work. Instead, I had a baby that night and the rest is history.
They say you know you’ve met an angel because they made you laugh…well here I am 17 years later…and the memory of these two scruffy guys still makes me laugh. Happy Mother’s Day!
Easy Hot Buffalo Chicken
I started eating hot buffalo chicken 17 years ago when I was pregnant with my youngest child. I used to get a buffalo chicken salad every day for lunch with a side of hot sauce from a burger place near my old job in Fort Mill, SC. Even now, if I get a fried chicken salad, I ask them to toss it in hot sauce. It’s soo good.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts or tenderloins
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup water
- 1 ½ cups flour
- Oil for frying (I use olive oil)
- ½ cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
- 3 tlb unsalted butter
- Optional: celery & ranch
Directions: You’ll need to 2 shallow dishes. In 1-beat the eggs & water with a fork until mixed. Place the flour in the other dish. Dredge the chicken in the flouer, then the egg mix, then back in the flour. Shake off the excess and set aside. Repeat for the rest of the chicken.
Heat oil over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, place chicken in the frying pan and be careful not to splash oil. Fry 4 mins on each side. Remove from oil and drain on a plate with paper towels.
Melt the butter I a small sauce pan. Mix with the hot sauce until blended. Dip and coat the chicken in the hot sauce. Serve with ranch and celery. Its also delicious on a salad or in a wrap.