Every single time my husband has left town, be if for business or pleasure, something has happened to make the time here without him more challenging. For example, my husband went to Thailand for a week or so the during my first year of law school. His friend was getting married, and he was invited to attend the wedding. I couldn’t attend with him because the wedding was scheduled over my first ever week of law school exams. We talked about whether or not it was more important for him to stay and help me through exam week, but ultimately decided he should go.

All would have been well, except that his mother fell and broke her arm the day after he left, and I was stuck caring for a child and his mom, while studying for and taking my first ever law school exams. Hence, that trip will always be referred to in my mind as the trip of resentment.

This theme continues whenever he leaves town. Somehow the universe decided that I am to be tested when he is away. Okay, that is fairly egocentric of me, I am sure the universe has better things to do than test me. Clearly, the universe just has a really sick and perverse sense of humor, and I make for a good laugh.

When Lee left for the Rails Conference a few weeks after Otter’s birth I had a heck of a time handling all the kids and pets on my own. The last time he left town for business I was in the middle of starting my own business and had to find sitters to watch the kids as I interviewed people. Oh yeah, and Monkey got sick.

SO… this time Lee is gone for four days, well, three and a half. Otter had been sick all week with Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease, courtesy of little Lily’s daycare center. We thought he was better, all back to normal, until four hours after his Daddy left town. He yawned, and I saw blisters inside his little mouth.

Well…. fuck.

I promptly canceled all playdates and got some low acidity yogurt to tempt him with. Of course, all he wants to do is nurse. Now he has a racking cough, a crackly little voice, and sore blisters inside his mouth. His plaintive cry of “Mama” is heard constantly through my house. Monkey’s nose began to run this morning and she claims to have been sneezing all night.

So, Murphy’s law is “what can go wrong, will” and mine is “what can go wrong when your spouse is out of town and you are alone with the kids, will.”

It sucks, but hey, I have my own law!!