Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Original Fiction FDK: Too Busy (1/1)

This one hits quite close to home for me. I’ve far more leisure time now than I used to, but I remember those days well.

As always, all feedback appreciated.

Been there. I once worked three part-time jobs while going to school and supporting my wife and three boys. Sometimes I wonder how I survived.

Poor Sharon. I truly feel for her. I hope the twins grow up soon, at least enough to give her some "her" time. It's obvious that she needs it.

Maybe the narrator could offer to watch them for an evening? Or a Saturday afternoon? Even androids need maintenance and down time.

I don't think I have ever felt like an android. But I know the feeling of having little to no me time. Just recently, a bus ride to my doctor felt like a vacation, because I was completely on my own. Heavenly! It had been weeks, since that had last happened.

But things are definitely improving. And I know exactly that I'm going to miss this time when my kids are grown up. Right now, they are so incredibly cute.

My almost three year-old has problems pronouncing the word "Tomate" (the translation is pretty much obvious, isn.t it?) It often comes out as "Totemate" which would translate to "dead mato". Come to think of it, change that to "Deathmato" and you have the perfect title for a horror movie.

Hi Terry,

Ouch, you really were busy.

As I am sure you have surmised, Sharon is a thinly-veiled me. I only had one job and one son, but my job required (unpaid) overtime at home, and my son’s major special needs meant that I was at least as busy as Sharon in my story. My husband left us through abandonment, not through death, But unlike Sharon, I rarely had the even the possibility of respite. People who were qualified to deal with my son’s physical disabilities couldn’t handle his behavioral challenges, and vice versa. Believe me, I exhausted any avenues I could discover trying to get respite. All I can say is, Thank God for Easter Seals camp — five heavenly, responsibility-free days each year.

I agree with you in the hope that Sharon could find someone to give her a little free time every now and then. She needs it.

Hi Barbara,

Part of the reason I felt like an android was that I was grieving for the non-special-needs counterpart to my son that never was. (That is, I was mourning for all the good things my son would never experience in this life, and all of the pleasures that I, too, would never have.) I knew that my real-life son needed me to be there for him, and to shower him with love and smiles, not to mention to see to his physical, emotional, and developmental well-being. Between needing to be positive for him and being so busy, I couldn’t really let myself feel. The exception was Sunday nights. All other nights of the week, I would do necessary chores until late and then collapse in bed exhausted and fall asleep almost instantly. My Sunday chores finished early — around 8:00pm or so. Once my son was in bed, I would go to bed early and let myself really feel. Many a Sunday night in the first few years of his life, I would cry myself to sleep.

Was this an emotionally healthy way to live? Absolutely not. But I did what was necessary for both of us to survive as best we could.

I can relate to your bus ride. When my son was younger, I actually looked forward to dental visits. I loved having the time in the dental chair free of responsibilities. And just being able to lie down and close my eyes in the middle of the day was indeed heavenly.

My life is at a much saner pace now. I’ve processed my emotions, and I am back to dreading dental appointments. In short, I am feeling human again.