I was all set to write a homey little entry about how Sal has almost been a parent in the past week. How not only did he offer to take the girls the night before I worked rather than just watching them while I was at work Sunday, but when Mina ended up feverish and adamant about staying at the house and not even leaving to get medicine for her fever, that he picked up eep and brought over the Motrin I asked for for Mina. Then when Mina came down with another fever at daycare Monday, he assured me he could watch her Tuesday so I wouldn�t miss work and lose my new job (only 2 absences in the first 90 days, and those have been blown thanks to my neck in Oct.)

I was all set to say that although KGB and he asked me for a small loan Friday (and trust me, to me there is no �small� loan) that he did pay me back when promised on top of all the other parental strides made.

Except that Tuesday, he told me he spent my money (on groceries) and couldn�t give it to me after all, and then it was on with the promises of making it up, but whenever he promises time he doesn�t come through, and could he borrow the car to drive out to his new jobsite because he was supposed to be out there all day and didn�t for Mina..

So, even though I am totally exhausted from the Mina, my cold (which isn�t gone) and the non-stop flow of cleaning, purging, and the holidays, I said �okay�

Because I believe if someone asks you for something, you should consider the request.

This is what I got for my trouble.

No $

No time to make my return to Target to get other $

The pleasure of Sal�s company. (can you see the sarcasm dripping from that statement? I should�ve known I dislike him too much to spend any niceties with him at all. )

After I left his house abruptly- seething with self-hatred for ever having anything to do with him ever in the first place, I realized that Mina�s medicine was still there, and I had to go get it.

When he gave it to me, he asked if I �had cooled off enough to let him go to his jobsite�

I was going to let him just take the car, after dropping us at home.

Nope, we had to go with. It was too late to tell him forget it and there I was in the car with him, with kids who were quibbling because they didn�t want to be driving somewhere)

So I got nothing on my agenda done.

No rest.

No cleaning.

No baths.

I didn�t even eat any dinner.

I am now emotionally exhausted on top of physically exhausted.

I hope I�ve learned my lesson.