Friday 26 September 2008

Sleepless In A Country Town

We picked up student son from university, last Friday, as he wanted to come home for the weekend. I was overcome with joy when I realised that he was bringing 3 weeks' washing with him. Hurrah! Lots of dark clothes to accompany my dark socks in the washing machine and make up a load. I wouldn't have to wear my odd socks, for a while, then. Hmmm.....

The following evening, student son had arranged to go out with some of his friends. They were travelling by 'bus into the nearest city, a journey of about 13 miles, to visit a couple of clubs. When I went to bed that night, my son still hadn't returned from his evening out, but I wasn't too worried, as he had told me that he and his friends expected to be too late to catch the last 'bus, so intended to return by taxi.

I couldn't sleep, because I had already fallen asleep on the settee downstairs, during the evening, so I read, until I felt tired. Every time I tried to lie down and sleep, however, I found that I couldn't settle and I didn't finally sleep until my third attempt. After a couple of hours, I woke up and went into student son's bedroom to check his bed, but it was still empty. It was 3 am and I began to conjure up pictures of student son lying alone, in the gutter, in some dark side street. He had spent the night away from home, without letting me know, on 2 other occasions and each time, he had stayed with the same friend. I reassured myself that, once again, he would be staying at his friend's house.

About 2 hours later, I woke again and checked student son's bed. He was still missing. I checked the 'phones for messages or texts, but found nothing. By this time, I imagined that student son had probably been run over, whilst lying alone, in the gutter, in the same dark side street. Alternatively, I imagined him telling me the next day, that I had been silly for worrying about him, when he had only been at his friend's house.

At 7 am, I woke again, realised that student son still hadn't come home and imagined him being rescued from the gutter, in the dark side street, by 2 paramedics and then being rushed to Accident and Emergency, in an ambulance, with the siren wailing. I told myself not to be silly. My 3 sons had each worried me on the odd occasion, by staying out late, or not coming home at all. Each time, I had been concerned in case something had happened to them, but my fears had always proved unfounded.

At 8 am, I texted student son, asked him where he was and told him that his eldest brother was coming to lunch, with his girlfriend, so that they could see him before he went back to university. At 10 am, I texted again and asked if he was okay. I knew that if he had been admitted into hospital, I would have been contacted by now, so I was beginning to feel annoyed about being ignored by him.

I was in the bathroom at about 10.30 am, when I heard the front door open and then I heard student son's voice. I sighed with relief, realising that he must have been at his friend's house, after all, and he had obviously just walked home from there.

I went out onto the landing, leaning over the rail, at the top of the stairs, just in time to see my son taking off his t-shirt. I was puzzled by the fact that he had several round stickers on his chest and a sticking plaster in the crook of his right elbow. He glanced up at me, suddenly, and said 'Guess who spent the night in A and E, then?'

24 comments:

softinthehead said...

I could so relate this post MOB, its silly because when they are away from home, ignorance is bliss!! I remember one morning waking up and son hadn't returned home and just as my husband and I were reassuring ourselves that no news was good news, the phone rang - it was son asking me to come and pick him up from the hospital, he hadn't called before because he couldn't remember the phone number as we had recently moved!!!

Mean Mom said...

Obviously, I understand how upsetting it must have been, for you, at the time, but I had to smile at your comment. Lucky for you, then, that you'd moved, otherwise you would have had a trip to the hospital, in the middle of the night. ;0)

Son was OK, wasn't he?

softinthehead said...

Yes he was and yours also I hope! Mean Mom sorry for mistaken identity ! :)

Maggie May said...

Mean mom, this post takes me back to many a sleepless night, worrying about my "wayward" son! Most nights he did show up eventually, some times a bit worse for wear! Once I got the dreaded phone call at 6.30 am from our local hospital. He had had a serious motorbike accident & although I didn't realize it then, it nearly cost him his leg. Thank goodness for bone grafts!
Would I go back to those times again? NO!!!!!!!!

Mean Mom said...

softinthehead - Sorry I forgot to address my previous comment to you. Luckily, you were first to comment. Glad your son was OK. Yes, student son is OK, too - just a bit DIM, apparently. Will explain all. Not to worry about mistaken identity. I could also answer to that title, at times!


maggie may - That sounds horrendous! My eldest son also rides a motorbike. Have you heard the one about A & E staff calling motorbike riders 'donors'? I sometimes think that my 3 sons take a perverse pleasure in worrying me out of my mind.

Your son was lucky, from the sound of it. When I worked in hospital Admin, there was a young lad on one of the wards, who had just lost his second leg, because of an accident. They all come off their bikes, sooner or later and at least once, as far as I can gather!

Suburbia said...

Oh no! I hope he's ok. I am dread ing this part of growing up. Mine are safley tucked in every night still. I'll sleep and enjoy it while I can!

Mean Mom said...

suburbia - Yes! You think that they are a worry, at times, when they are young, but, at least, you still have an element of control. Student son is 19 and seems to have a cavalier attitude towards his own safety. He is OK. His friends looked after him, fortunately. I am working on the next post, which will give an explanation.

Mignon said...

OK Im guessing A&E there is like ER here in US. (Emergency Room). I always start to panick when my Bee does not respond promptly to my call or texts. Darn kids!

A Mother's Place is in the Wrong said...

Oh dear Mean Mom, what a follow up to your last Post! Isn't it typical that something should happen like that. I do hope your Son is OK now? I still do the same worrying, lying awake etc, and my Son is in London so there's nothing I could do anyway. It's in the wee small hours that all the worries come out of the woodwork.
M xx

Mean Mom said...

mignon - Yes, you're right. Accident and Emergency. It is so worrying, when they don't reply to messsages etc. You know that it is more likely that they are OK, rather than not, but it doesn't stop your imagination working overtime!


A mother's place - Yes, son is OK, thanks. You're right, of course. Everything seems so much worse in the middle of the night. For me, it's something to do with the darkness.

Swearing Mother said...

Oh don't, it reminds me of so many sleepless nights I've had over the years and still do.

Can't even tell you about some of them, they still make my stomach clench.

He was obviously OK, bet you wanted to thump him!

Mean Mom said...

swearing mother - Teenagers (and sometimes, even twenty somethings) don't understand why anyone should worry about them. After all, they are immortal and nothing will ever happen to them. The concept of 'consequences' is totally alien to them.

Student son seems to have a total disregard for his health and safety and he is studying to be a nurse!!!

auntiegwen said...

Your last comment made me smile. I too was a student nurse, we always had a healthy disregard for our well being

but I've survived ! x

Mean Mom said...

auntiegwen - Perhaps there is some hope for him, then!!

Robin said...

Thanks for the translation. How dare he not think to call, why if I was there I'd break his arm, WAIT is that what the plaster on his arm means? (I need help understanding the rest.)

I am glad everyone is safe.

Mean Mom said...

robin - I'm not sure what your word is for a plaster. A Band Aid, maybe? The hospital had taken some blood, anyway, and it was to cover the site, to keep it clean. I keep forgetting that not everyone lives in this country!

Rose said...

I can so relate to this; it's especially hard when they go away to college, because they think they're independent--and we want to treat them that way--but they don't realize we still worry about them.
My husband always said, "Well, if he was in the hospital, we would have heard by now." Your story just proves that we're right to worry! Glad your son is ok.

Mean Mom said...

rose - When I was 19, I thought that I was grown up. Now that I'm 55, I doubt that it will ever happen.

I've only just remembered that, when I was about his age, I stayed out 3 or 4 nights myself. Rebelling, I suppose. Trying to prove that I was old enough to do whatever I wanted. Oh, dear. It's OK as long as it doesn't develop into a habit.

Yes, the irony of it all. For once, based on past experience, I had convinced myself that he was OK and then it turned out that he hadn't been!!

Robin said...

Mean Mom, you are teaching me a second language. Thanks.

Mean Mom said...

robin - It's a pleasure!

blogthatmama said...

I hope you gave him a good telling off and were a truly Mean Mom! Looking forward to the next post, if not the next 10 years!! Blogthatmamax

Mean Mom said...

blogthatmama - He did have a telling off. I think that he's had more stern words from us, since he's been a student, than he had when he was living at home. He's obviously been waiting for his opportunity to misbehave!

merry weather said...

I've been catching up MM. I am so pleased you finally escaped from the tower - and with such panache...!

Reading your son tales, I'm smiling and wincing. A night in A and E, dear God!

I have all this anxiety yet to come you see. I'm trying to imagine this empty time you describe so vivdly. Our house now is so full of boys, shouts, socks and sweat...

Beautifully done MM.

Mean Mom said...

merry weather - Thanks. Yes, I'm trying to act as a bit of a warning to those of you with younger families. It's mostly good fun having a house full of people and noise and you don't imagine it ever coming to an end. Then one day, it does, and somehow you feel as if you should have enjoyed it more. (We've been a bit unfortunate, because our 3 sons have disappeared more or less all at the same time.)

I'm getting used to the situation, now, though. It was just a bit of a shock at first.