myowncalcuttablog.com

We’ve all had rotten days. Days where nothing goes right. Every time something goes wrong, we reinforce it. We tell anyone within earshot, “See? Nothing is going right today!

But, what if we focused on what went well? Well, on Thursday, I tried that approach. A day where everything went wonderful…

I had planned the day for my daughter, Giselle and I one week in advance. We were going to tackle her to-do list, including many wedding plans. We were going to get er’ done!

In the morning, we both woke up feeling horrible. Giselle’s headache was almost a migraine. My right shoulder was in a spasm. It felt like someone had pounded it with a hammer while I slept. A jack hammer!

The to-do list loomed in front of us. How would we ever get anything accomplished?

I looked at Giselle and told her, ”Today is going to be a fantastic day!”

As we drove to our first destination, the song playing on the radio was one of my favourite Beatles’ hits: “Lovely Rita”. I turned to Giselle and said, ”This is going to be a great day!”

The next song on the radio was another of my faves: “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Bob Dylan. I asked my co-pilot, “Can this day get any better?”

Our first stop was to the bridal store for a fitting of Giselle’s wedding dress. Giselle’s dress fit better now than back in January! The alterations were quoted at a ridiculously low price.

The bakery was next up. Giselle selected strawberry cupcakes for her fiancé’s birthday. Strawberry cake with a swirl of icing and a sliced strawberry floating on top.

Wedding cakes were discussed. The owner quoted a price for the minimum cost and said, “It goes up after that!”

A three-tiered cake was chosen: chocolate base, vanilla middle and strawberry top. Ruffles made of icing on the sides. Fresh flowers to decorate. Please don’t eat the daisies! The owner mentioned she had obtained her own cake-topper on eBay.

For Christmas, I’d given Giselle a musical figurine called “Cake Topper”. It featured a man embracing a woman. I suggested using it for her cake.

“Mom, it would sink through all three layers! It’s so heavy!”

And, this is why I ask professionals for help! Wedding planning’s been a learning experience. We learned the total cost for the wedding cake remained at the minimum quote! I paid for the cupcakes and for a deposit on the wedding cake. Everything was indeed going well today.

Banking was done. Items were dropped off at a friend’s home just as they happened to be walking up their sidewalk. A doctor unexpectedly faxed a prescription to the pharmacy thus freeing up time we would’ve spent waiting at a clinic.

At the pharmacy, we perused the jewelry section. We asked the cosmetologist with a perfect face for her fashion sense. She went out of her way to help us. Everything was going perfect!

Giselle picked up a springtime bouquet of tulips, hyacinths and pussy willows for her Nonna. She had wanted to give her sprigs of pussy willows from her home but they had already blossomed. After the to-do list was accomplished, time had run out to visit Nonna before supper.

We extended an invitation to Nonna to accompany us at 7:30 pm for bubble tea and cupcakes to celebrate Stephen’s birthday. Not one to sit around, my 90-year-old mother accepted the invitation!

It was snowing–in April!– by the time we parked downtown. I was delighted I found a rare parking spot nearby. But, it was on an odd angle. I asked my older daughter, Monique how far out I was from the curb.

“Two and a half feet!”

It took two more attempts before I successfully parked my car. My mom had already had her door open, eager to discover bubble tea. Giselle, Stephen and Monique, crammed in the back seat were just as eager to have some space, I’m sure!

When my Mom inquired where exactly we were going, I thought it was because I’d pulled up directly in front of a seamy store with X-rated models in the display windows. Nope, Mom simply wanted to know the name of the place. It was Bubble Tea Express.

As we entered the store, the smell of weed permeated the entrance. Probably from the ductwork of an upstairs tenant as the owner was the lone occupant of the store.

Our drink order was placed. Among us were chosen flavours of mango, peach, strawberry, watermelon and for Mom, pineapple. Some of us chose jelly bobas; others selected tapioca or bursting fruit bobas!

When the owner, Amil heard the word “Nonna” mentioned, he told us he left his native Philippines for Italy for several years to study spirituality. He had planned on becoming a priest.

I asked Amil if a woman had led him astray from his priestly ambitions. He laughed, nodded and said, “I met the other Mary!”

I’d been worried we’d be chastised for bringing in our own dessert. Amil turned a blind eye to our table sprinkled with strawberry cupcake crumbs. The tea and bobas were delicious. Amil snapped a photo of “everybody with Nonna” for his Facebook page.

On the way home, garbage cans were strewn across roads because of the high winds. My Mom mentioned “it had been an experience” going for bubble tea downtown at night. She didn’t think she’d do it again.

“Well, then, it was a once in a lifetime experience!”

Monique told her Nonna that she could cross it off her bucket list. As we pulled into her driveway, the contents of her entire recycling blue box blew onto the road. I didn’t let it upset me. It had been a fantastic day.

Coming home, I applied muscle rub to my neck for the fifth time. I was glad I hadn’t let the lingering pain ruin my day. Guy approached me with a questioning look.

“What did you buy at the bakery today?” He had worked late and not come downtown with us.

“Cupcakes. I saved you one.”

“For 45 dollars? Those are pricey cupcakes!” We have an app on our phones that show our joint banking instantaneously.

“Oh! A deposit for a wedding cake, too! Let me tell you about my fantastic day…”