This is such a blessing for us, especially since this particular youngest child is known for his vehicular screw ups. Many a night has caused me to worry that he would make a quick, rash decision on the road that would result in a lawsuit. Now, I am not talking about an accident where someone would be physically harmed. Of course, his welfare is of utmost concern to me. But when you take into account that when he first got his driver's license, I gave him my 'old' car (I had just purchased the vehicle I drive now.) It was a cute-as-a-bug, dent free little silver Hyundai, one that I was actually emotionally attached to, for a variety of reasons.
He was thrilled when we handed him the keys and told him "It is now yours."
Of course, it came with a set of rules; do not load it with kids. Do not allow anyone else to drive it. (This particular rule was one my dad gave to me when I was a teenager. I immediately broke that rule, allowed a friend to tool around town in it, and got caught, which resulted in my dad taking it from me...and it was a beautiful dark blue mustang with a white leather interior...and selling it.)
Anyway, my son had that car for maybe a month when we got a call from him.
"This car is a piece of shit." he said.
"How is it a piece of shit? It wasn't a piece of shit when you drove away in it."
"It stalled and then it crashed into a median and hit the 'caution, road repairs ahead' sign and now its wrecked."
"Wait a minute, son. Let me get this clear. The car stalled and while it was stalled, it veered into the median and wrecked."
"Yeah. It's a piece of crap."
I drove out there and found his car in a deep dip by the side of the road. There were huge caution signs all around because of the extensive roadwork. The car was, indeed, wrecked and it was fair to say it was now 'a piece of *shit.*'
There were also skid marks..maybe twenty feet of skid marks.
A police car arrived and I sat there, appalled, as my kid told the officer the same story he had told me; the car stalled which resulted in twenty foot skid marks and a totalled vehicle..not to mention a totally destroyed caution sign.
We contacted our insurance company who, after a brief investigation, let us know that they would not cover the accident because..Because!!! our son had falsified his police report. There was no debating this and all we could do was notify them that (after years with this company) we were 'firing' them and taking our business elsewhere.
'Nuff said about that, and the point is, we are now, as of yesterday, no longer financially responsible for this kid..or any kid, considering that he is the youngest..and this called for celebration.
So yesterday early evening, a group of us trekked across town and went to a Japanese Steak House. This place serves quality Japanese cuisine, teppanyaki style, which means hibachi cooking right at your table.
I figure most folks have tried a Japanese Steak House at least once in their life but if you haven't, you are missing a treat. Not only is the food delicious, the chef puts on an often hilarious show as he cooks.
We started with a plate of sushi.
followed by a bowl of beef broth, mushroom and leek soup and a salad with ginger sauce.
Then our entertaining chef appeared, turned on the grill and set it afire in preparation for frying our rice and vegetables.
After that, our chef made a volcano out of onions and oil, which he then set ablaze.
And then the good stuff, the meats. Chicken, scallops, shrimp, steak.
The birthday boy ordered a beer and was just delighted, like he has never been before, to show the waiter his ID.
His girlfriend/fiancee arranged for an ice cream cake to be delivered to our table after the meal..and yes, its a cake!
The birthday 'king' and his 'queen.'
My son, if you are browsing through here, I want you to always remember...I am your mother. Nobody in this world will ever love you the way your mother loves you. Remember that. And never lose sight of the fact..no matter how old you become or how big you get, no matter how far away you may travel in your life..always remember..momma can always find you and you are never too big for a whupping.
Happy Birthday, my big man. And please. Drive carefully. I love you.
I've never been to a Japanese steak house. I'd like to do that one day.
ReplyDeleteYour son sounds like my son, I divorced him. We are about the only species on this that hangs on to our offspring because we are brainwashed into do that, and that isn't right.
ReplyDeleteoh, mister anchovy, you really should go to one. You, of all my blogger friends, would enjoy it the most because of your culinary interests. Not only is the food really really good, teppanyaki chefs traditionally put on a great little show. At each one I've dined at, the chef tosses eggs in the air, which magically land dead center on a meat cleaver and crack open, the shell in two very precise halves. Sometimes those eggs. in mid air, find their way into the top of the chef's hat! I tell you that as an example of the entertainnment.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like dinner at one of those places would cost more than I spend on food in a week or two.
ReplyDeleteyep, it's kind of expensive so it's not something we do very often, which is why it's usually reserved for special occasions.
ReplyDeleteMy son read through this last night, smiled and shook his head.
ReplyDelete"Cute, mom. Real cute."
I could tell he liked it though. :)
You are so right there.. I have tears in my eyes. My girls are at grandma's house two hours away and I miss them terribly. They come home on Saturday.. Daddy has talked to them but I havent gotten to yet.. I dont want to spoil there fun with my tears. Happy b-day to the big man in the family now..
ReplyDeleteAwww, I'm sorry, Tweetey. It's almost Saturday and then you'll have them back in the nest.
ReplyDelete