When Mom was eight months pregnant with her youngest baby, she was awaken one morning by her golden boy, Rhett. He was standing over her, straddling her body, and growling. Mom became alarmed. In a sleepy fog, mom was able to focus enough to see something black hanging on the wall above her head. She leaned up slowly and pulled the chain extending from the ceiling fan to turn the lights on. When the light switched on, the black monstrosity became fearful and began swarming the room.
As the bat made circles around the room, so did Rhett. Rhett kept good timing, barking and growling as he went. Another of the small children was in bed with Mom, and she wasted no time getting them out of the bedroom. It was a moment for America's Funniest Video's as mom wrangled her pregnant belly, a five year old, and Rhett from the room without touching foot to the floor - or at least that's how she remembers it.
Mom called Dad to come home from work to "deal" with the situation. Dad left work to appease mom but not believing there was a bat in the house. He came home and went to the bedroom and found.... NOTHING. There was no sign of the terror that had haunted Mom just an hour before.
Until....
Rhett was allowed back in the room. With his super-duper, sniffer, Rhett was able to locate the bat hidden behind a dresser in no time. Dad "dealt" with the situation. Rhett was deemed mom's hero. Dad didn't appreciate Rhett's praise since it was he that ultimately took care of the bat. But as mom said, "Where were you when that thing was hanging above the heads of our unborn baby, five year old son, and me?"
Uh huh. That's right.
Five years later and there has not been another indoors bat sighting. Until.....
....this past weekend!
When notified by the children that there was a bat in a bedroom, mom reacted with a cool, calmness that is often out of her grasp. In hindsight, I realize it was more because she - as Dad had reacted previously - doubted that there was indeed an intruder in the house. Mom marched with confidence into the children's room. And then she saw it - a small black bat crawling around the floor.
Mom's calmness quickly faded.
Once again, Dad was at work. Mom would have to handle the situation herself this time.
As mom tried to work up the gumption to go back into the bedroom, an unforeseen presence brushed lightly against her leg. Mom began screaming and laughing and screaming. There were tears streaming down her face. She looked down to discover instead of a bat, it was her faithful side-kick, Ohno. This sent her over the edge. She laughed so hard she could not catch her breath.
While mom continued to dance in a hysterical fashion through the house still laughing and crying, a new hero emerged. No, it wasn't me. Mom's eight year old son, Isaac, headed into the bedroom. Armed only with a Nerf Tri-Blade, Isaac quickly and professionally dealt with the problem at hand.
And so Mom has a renewed fear of small, black, flying rodents. She has a new hero. And I have a new found respect for the blonde haired boy.
Next time though - that bat is all mine!!
