Cat Fight

December 12, 2012

Anyplace I don’t want to be is my hellacious self-inflicted prison. Ubiquitous contentment spreads like wildfire in the presence of children laced with every imaginable disability at ADD Hospital this morning. Wandered the maze of white chipped swarming halls from one facility to the next to find my simple wooden and much anticipated cane! Wheel chairs, braces, straps, gurneys, floaties for the pool, swinging, strutting, swaying, sashaying, pulling, pushing, holding hands and the best yet, nearly all of the whole special needs kids broadcasted colossal smiles and gripped a box of chocotonne (popular fluffy yellow cake spattered with bits of chocolate) donated by a generous sponsoring company. Surrounded by the energy of the drifting faces, families and a awe-inspiring staff of volunteers the itch that can’t be scratched anxiety of my insistence I don’t want to be “here,” with a bad foot, incapable of sorting out …well, everything, dissipates! Giving of myself and expecting nothing in return wipes out all else. Any thoughts or words white out the experience of actually being there with all of them. Consequently I just be. Humbling.

Sped off to the Clube with Cristina to have an extended non-descript open cafeteria-style  lunch with her kids after they propelled from the heated indoor pool. Salmon sushi for the 3.5 and 6 year olds, salad for me and various dishes for Cris. A heated discussion between two of the close friends at the table was a bit muddled but I believe they were arguing about their parenting philosophies. Elena looks to be around 35 dressed in perky pink shorts, matching top and running shoes has a striking 4 year old son and cute curly-haired three year old twin boy and girl. The other, Renata, in her 40’s looked sharp in chic white designer glasses, sleek gray top and bermuda shorts with stylish red sandals has one sassy daughter who is 6. Remarkable forceful prickly argument fired up between two women. Elena got so upset she stormed off for a smoke. It made me consider N Americans and the fact that I hardly ever experience an open argument in a public place where the participants are very well-known, especially women in the upper echelon of society. Of course there are the bar battles, cat fights, punching and scratching I hear about, between those that that are not so well-mannered…Women do not fight because it is considered impolite and unrefined to raise your voice besides the fact that women tend to get their feelings hurt, I explain to Cris as we walk out of the turnstile to the car. The two women eventually dropped the hair-raising discussion and moved onto other things though I am not convinced they will easily forget the inflexible and willful disagreement.