You can't choose the family you get...

A ridiculous statement really. Okay, you can't choose the family you are related to by blood, that is true. But how many people in our lives have we felt were more family than our real relatives? Friends that feel more like sisters and brothers, stronger than even that best friend status. Or how about all those aunts and uncles who weren't really aunts and uncles.

Well this is for my Aunt Patty, my mother's friend of oh so many years.....

This was going to be a vent with a happy ending... But well, it turned itno my usual odd silliness.

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The Pumpkin Coach

Far, far away, in the not so nice part of the kingdom, our fair princess and her beautiful mother resided. Having no king at her side, nor a king's fortunes to grant their every wish. Their mode of transportation was a used pumpkin coach that they them selves had to drive. It was big, and it was rotting each day. The pretty leaves and vines ornately decorating the coach had little by little fallen off. The heat of summer made the pumpkin coach an almost unbearable ride.

But the beautiful mother and the fair princess were forced to drive their used coach for it was given to them when they had none. With each passing moon seemed to bring yet another problem with the coach. It wasn't even suitable for harvesting at this point. Throwing the pumpkin over a cliff was the only thing this coach was good for. It creaked and smelled (yes I know you can imagine a stinking pumpkin, but go with me on the creaking part).

The beautiful mother tried to be patient, but felt she had no choice but to call upon aid of the Step-Mother. She wasn't evil per se, but she could be cruel and unfeeling when she wanted to be. On one occassion, the Step-Mother was generous in word. You see, the beautiful mother was taking queen classes to hopefully find a position as one of the kingdom's queens. And the Step-Mother promised a brand new royal pumpkin coach upon her daughter's acquiring of said queen position.

Time passed and the day of the crowning was coming. But they had one requirement left of her before allowing her to finish her queen classes. She had to serve as queen in some other kingdom for one month. Well now in all the other kingdoms, they only wanted queens with kings and to find a kingdom that differed would take too long. So the aspiring queen bid farewell to that dream and went on to find another position to fill.

Patience and perseverance and she found a job at a distant coach dealership. Yes it was a cruel trick. She helped others get the coaches of their dreams, while hers was held together with old magic dust. But she kept going. The beautiful mother had held her head high and kept bearing with her poor mode of transportation. Soon, she'd buy a new one.

If only, the magic dust could have waited that long. The pumpkin coach was falling to pieces. And was no longer a safe coach to ride. Concerned, the beautiful mother went once more to ask for aid of the Step-Mother. Her petition was granted, but relunctantly so. For one day, she rode in a top of the line glass coach. But she was warned to never let it happen again.

The pumpkin got patched, and again, the princess and mother rode in it. But it was a poor fix for a dying pumpkin. And again, there was a need to borrow another coach or get a ride. The Step-Mother turned cold and refused to even lend one of the older coaches. Upset and worried, the beautiful mother drove on with her pumpkin coach.

Her feelings from the morning stayed with her making an entire day at the coach dealership seem as though it were the worst place to work at. And to make matters worse, a palace guard stopped her for driving a coach without footmen. It was minor, but one more thing on an already bad day.

The princess opened the gates to welcome the beautiful mother home. A hug later and tears were flowing. Both were now upset with the selfish Step-Mother. But aside from offering comfort nothing more could be done.

Now for many years, the mother had befriended a fairy godmother. The two were almost sisters at times. And even the princess felt this godmother was like an aunt. Truth be told, the two families all shared similar feelings.

As if she knew, the fairy godmother came in to lift up the beautiful mother. She told her, "you'll know what it is like to ride in a brand new coach. A coach strong and sturdy enough to travel to the distant lands and visit your father. And you won't need to worry about financing it. I shall make that go away. Bear with it a little longer and you shall have cause to smile again." And like that she was gone, to return another day to keep good on her word.

Well now both mother and daughter were stunned to tears. Afterall, she wasn't even their fairy godmother and yet she granted them with this wish. So generous and kind, she gave without a thought.

For now, the fair princess and the beautiful mother look forward to the day they can cast their pumpkin coach over a cliff and watch it go "Splat!", cause well, that's all it's good for at this point.

Stay tuned and see what really happens....

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Thank God for blessing us with "family" we weren't born with.
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Comment(s):

awesome story, fwend:)

Posted by sarah on 08 Aug 05 Monday - 6:43 AM

Yeah, let's give morons fireworks.... Genius idea!

So, the 4th of July came and went this year. I gotta say this was one of the worst ones I've ever seen. Not that, I always have a good or bad 4th. This one just stood out as one of the crappiest. And evidently, it isn't even fully over in my neighborhood.

Our plans got cancelled along with appartently much of LB's firework displays. Not a big deal. Really. I've spent quite a few 4th's without fireworks. Now I do LOVE fireworks.... But I know I'll eventually see them again at say Disneyland one of these days... It would have been nice to see them Monday, but no biggie. We couldn't even go out to see a movie. The only one we wanted to see was one we saw already (BTW, we LOVED War of the Worlds).

Not having plans for that night wasn't really a problem... Mom had to start a new job the next day, anyway. Not to mention, I was beginning to worry about leaving the place and cat un-attended for the night. And my instincts were proven right.

I just adore people who think they can set up there own firework displays. I mean, it is just awesome the way they show a complete lack of safety for property and children. It should be illegal to even sell these small time firecrackers.

Now, the neighborhood kids had been letting us sample the sound effects of these firecrackers since Friday. Awfully nice of them, really. Setting off car alarms. Even being so inconsiderate as to set them out in front of our window. Or in the alley next to parked cars when the cops came to shoo them away from the sidewalks... Ticketted, I heard. But that didn't detour them.

So back to Monday, when the whole neighborhood got involved. Not uncommon really. Except they were doing this on the sidewalk next to FLAMABLE lawn right outside OUR window. Some of them, I swear might have shot directly over our roof.. Now that's the last thing we need. An apartment on fire.

The fireworks went on for hours. And what little I saw of it, wasn't even all that great. I gotta say, I was so nervous and angry for like 2 hours straight. I couldn't even get Oreo out from under the bed to hide him in the closet a lil quieter for him. Poor kitty... They'd stop and he'd dare to venture out, only to flee minutes later.

Strays went on for hours more, but I had calmed down by then... And whoopee for me, the strays haven't stopped yet. Yes, I said yet.... It is now a full week of firecrackers that I have had the pleasure of enjoying... Will the torture of 4th of July never end???