Things That Sting (But Kids Are People, Too)

Owwwwwwwww!!!!!!

It's ridiculous how long the pain of a bee sting lasts. I got stung right before leaving work tonight. That was about twenty minutes ago. As I type this, I can still feel the fading pinchy feeling of the venom in my arm. It had been a while since I've been stung by anything. Luckily, I'm not allergic, but my boss is. She was with me when it happened so I'm just thankful that it happened to me and not to her. I don't think I'd be able to handle [OW! OW! OW! SUPER STINGY FEELING!!! ...that happens every now and again just sitting here. I wonder if the act of typing makes it worse... OWWWIE OWWIE OW!] driving her to the hospital in a calm and safe manner. She'd be screaming, and I'd be in a panic trying to remember where the heck the hospital is. Then we'd get there and I wouldn't know where to park or where to go.

Some of you are probably wondering why she doesn't have an EpiPen. Well, she told me today that she hasn't been to a doctor in a long time... like thirty years! Seriously! Eileen has to be sixty-something years old. She's a cute little Catholic woman, and when she feels some kind of pain in her body or starts feeling sick (which isn't often), she prays over it. One time she had a pain in her chest for a few days. I told her that if it was still there in the next few days, she should she a doctor. She said she didn't like going to the doctor. Then she just spent the next couple days praying over it and it went away. I trust God but I do worry about her, not just because she's my boss (and some people actually hate their employers) but because she's a person. She is good to me... though I think I get on her nerves when I do things wrong. Anyways...

Tonight we were getting ready to leave the store, door locked, certain things left to be finished tomorrow. All we had left to do was take the trash out. We were standing outside the back door right next to the dumpster, breaking up boxes. I tossed in one box and waited for Eileen to finish hers so I could toss them in, too. All of a sudden, I felt a hard pinch on my left arm. Bewildered, I let out a loud gasp, followed by something like, "OOOOWWWWW!!!" I ran away from the dumpster and looked back at it to see a large, skinny black insect with long wings. I can't say exactly what it was. A hornet? A wasp? I don't know. Whatever it was, it freakin' HURT! [It is now about an hour and ten minutes since I got stung, and the stupid thing still hurts.] Eileen was yelling, "What happened? What was it?" and the like. Upon realizing what had happened, she told me to make sure the stinger was out, but it hadn't been there to begin with. Then she told me about her bee alergy, and so I had her get away from the dumpster and go back into the doorway, allowing me to throw the rest of the trash in with her in safety.

Another Funny Thing About Eileen...

Eileen can be a really nice lady most of the time. I mean, it took me a long time to get used to her. Even now I sometimes don't get her, but for the most part, I like her and learn interesting things from her. Anyways, earlier today before the bee incident, a mother and her kid came into the store. They had been in the week before so she could try on her dress. She tries it on again today. Her son, whose name today I learned is Zackerie (sp?), came in with a smile and a gameboy just like the last time. I was steaming a huge wedding gown (what a challenge that was!) and he came over and started talking to me. We shared a little convorsation about what game he was playing. He wanted to know what Mario-based games I had played, what systems, etc. I offered what I could. All the while his mother was in the dressing room. Zack was well-behaved and sat on the step ladder patiently. When he didn't feel like sitting on it anymore, he sat on the floor. In my eyes he was too close to the steamer, so I asked him to move away from it and he did. (He's about five years old.) He was so cute. He didn't touch anything in the store, he wasn't rude, and he wasn't disobedient. Not really. He kind of did his own thing, but with an innocent, nieve understanding. He was so CUTE!!! I told his mother that her son was a little cutie. She didn't respond much. She seemed drained, but I could see how a talkative, energetic kid like him could drive a mom nuts. But even so, while he was in the shop I saw no signs of a bad upbringing. Zack's mom told him it was time to go, he said "one minute" as he finished something on his game, and a second later he was following her out.

Eileen started to head to the back room. I mentioned to her what a cute kid he was, but all I got was a roll of the eyes and a "I hate kids" with sort of a chuckle to follow. She says that once in a while, and every time I respond the same way. "Oh, Eileen..." laughing. "No you don't." Or sometime just, "You don't hate kids..." And she'll laugh and say "Nooo... I don't." Most of the time I think she's joking (and maybe she does say it just to be funny), but after today I'm not so sure. The previously mentioned order of events happened as normal, with me insisting she didn't hate kids, only this time, she walked away to the back with a laugh, not saying anything. And quietly she said, "Yes I do." What's stranger is the soft-spoken, little ol' lady voice she had when she said it.

I dunno... I'm beginning to think she really does hate kids. Oh, Eileen...