DC Femella

This morning after dropping Cebastian at school, Isabelle and I headed to her school.  She was very talkative this morning.

“Mom, there’s a boy in the preschool class named Kenny,” she said.

“Oh really?  What does he look like?

“Well…he has light hair and pretty eyes.  He is adorable,” she giggled.

“Adorable? Really?” I smiled back in the rearview mirror.

“Yes, and he has amazing clothes.”

I began laughing.  Amazing clothes?  Come on, what five-year old thinks that way.

“I think I know Kenny.  He is short right?” I replied.

“Yes, he’s a little fella.”

We both started giggling together.  

“A little fella?”

“Yeah, he likes me but I don’t know.  He’s too little,” she stared out the window.

“Oh, you like taller boys?”

“There’s Connor and Sam.  They are my friends.”

“They should be only friends because you are too young to have a boyfriend.”  I couldn’t help but have the mother come out of me.

“Connor and Sam can’t play together, especially when I’m around.”

“Why? I know they fight a lot, but why when you are around?”  

“Because they are always fighting over me,” she replied haughtily.

I laughed all the way to her school.  The teacher calls her “Pippi Longstocking” because she’s kooky and comes up with the weirdest things to do or say.  She definitely gets that from her mother.

I have always been deathly afraid of bugs. It all started at the age of four when I was visiting my grandparents’ house. We lived in Panama, and in those times, there was no concept of air conditioning. The weather in Panama can reach up to 100 degrees, so people would leave their doors opens and ceiling fans turned up high to keep the house livable. Due to this, creepy crawlies would sneak into the house.

I remember that fateful day I was sitting on the toilet when I saw something scurry by. The fear of being alone in a small room with a grotesque, dark creature freaked me out so bad that I began screaming at the top of my lungs. My mother came in and tried to console me. She had to spank me in order for me to stop the high-pitch wails that were coming out of my mouth. Till that day, I can’t see a bug without going crazy. It’s a phobia that I hate because there are insects everywhere, and for some reason, they are deeply attracted to me.

After a bug landed in my hair for the 10,000 times, I decided to do some research. It seems that some people give out a sweeter scent than others that attract bugs. In another instance, I would have felt great, but knowing that I am not attracting the group that I want to is not exhilarating.

This morning, the kids and I were already running late. I make them breakfast and head to take a shower. My plans were thwarted by a brown spot on the ceiling. A closer inspection made me realize that it was a house centipede. I was in a trance and couldn’t stop staring at it. My son Cebastian came in and started talking to me, but he realized that I wasn’t paying attention. His gaze went up to the ceiling, and he said, “Mommy, it’s a bug! I’ll get it.”

He grabbed his shoe, and I turned the fan on because those centipedes hate the cool air. It did the trick, and the bug ran down the wall. After 15 minutes of trying to kill the bug, Cebastian finally got it. I’m weird, but I felt sad. I am afraid of them, but I don’t want to kill them. If it weren’t for the fact that I wasn’t so freaked of them, I would have tried to have him throw it outside.

I’m glad that my son hasn’t turned out like me. He is brave and is ready to do anything. I haven’t seen that he has any of the phobias I have, and I am glad. My daughter Isabelle is deathly afraid of bugs as well, and I always thank my sister Kristine for that. One day she was babysitting them, and she saw a spider in the car. Her phobia is spiders. She watched “Arachnophobia” one too many times. She started screaming and panicking. Her fear made my daughter fearful of insects. I always thank her for that. At least we both have Cebastian, our knight in shining armor and a shining shoe.

house centipede