Skunk Blessings
A true story.
I receive a knock on my bedroom door at 3 AM this morning. “Yeah?” I replied, and was shocked to see my daughter Abby peek around the door. Abby is 22 years old, married, and lives a few miles away.
“What are you doing here? Is everything OK?” I say as my brain struggles to wake up.
“Sorry, I tried to call but didn’t get an answer. Can Nathan and I crash here tonight? We either have a skunk that sprayed under our house or we have a gas leak.” At the words “gas leak,” I’m fully awake.
Luckily, the guest room was set up. So Abby and Nathan and Karma (so named because she’s a …female dog - let the reader understand) and Leo (her cat) move into the guest room, and Nathan leaves again to meet the fire department and utility company.
No gas leak. The smell is of the skunk variety. They grab some clothes and do laundry at our place. They open windows and set out bowls of vinegar, hoping to neutralize the smell. Nathan calls in to work to take the day off - he has nothing to wear that doesn’t reek.
And I got to do one of my favorite things in the world this morning - chat with Abby before work over coffee - our ritual before she got married.
They’ve been here all day. We just watched Godzilla Minus One together at their suggestion (highly recommended!). And even though I’m glad they have their own place and their own lives, I’ve missed just hanging out with them. Even if it took a skunk to make it happen.
Some blessings are like that.