A glimpse into a crystal ball
Last night I got a small taste of what life might be like with a teenager. I can see why parents instantly go gray when their kids start going out with friends & lets just say, I might have to keep boxes of hair color stock piled in the house.

Yesterday was one of Bill's Dudes Night Out. This night was a little different than the last few times because it was with his new co-workers. One of them just finalized his divorce & made a chunk of change on the settlement of the house. This was going to be one big divorce party & really, the party started at 3pm.

The people that Bill works with now are party people. On Fridays, they start drinking beer at the office at 3pm. Every week. The funny thing about this is the type of party people they are. They aren't crazy city slickers that go out to the clubs & get wasted. No, these people are what I call tech-hippies (for lack of a better term). They drink local brews & have their own jam sessions. Yes, you read that right. They have jam sessions. One person brings their mandolin to work & breaks it out when they break it down. After all, we do live in Colorado.

So, it's Friday & they are all drinking beer at 3. Then Bill makes a pretty big sale that everyone gets very excited about & this leads into an enthusiastic jam session (I saw the video that Bill recorded on his cell. It's pretty entertaining). This apparently was the perfect pre-party to this one co-workers divorce party.

I picked up Bill from work. Excited about his sale & the party after dinner, he was grinning from ear to ear. We ate dinner & decided that it would be a good idea if I kept the car & he biked home. Other co-workers were making responsible decisions & spending the night at this guys house rather than driving home. Logan & I dropped Bill off at the party with a bike & he said that he would be home between midnight & 1am. He also said that he would call me when he left the party so I knew he was on his way home.

Midnight rolls around & no word from Bill. The next thing I know, it's 1am & still-nothing. I sent Bill a text. Are you on your way home? No response. At this point I'm in bed, but I can't sleep. 15 minutes pass & I text him again. Hey, what's going on? Again, no response. Now I'm starting to worry. I continue to lay in bed & listen to the sounds of our town. It dawns on me that since we do live in a small town & the party is really just a few miles down the street, I could hear the sirens of an ambulance if anything went wrong. So, now I'm laying in bed listening for sirens. 20 minutes pass & I send him another text. I need you to answer. It's not fair to make me lay here & worry.

Now it's about 1:30 & I'm pissed. I'm filled with a mix of worry & anger. All I want is a phone call to know where he is. Is he biking home? Has he been hit by a car? Is he still at the party & too drunk to come home? Did he pass out at the party? I get out of bed clutching my cell & go to check my email (why would anyone email me at 1am is beyond me). I then call him & leave him a message that said something to the effect of, "Answer your damn phone & let me know where you are", among other choice words.

I hear something outside & open the door to find Bill in the garage putting the bike up. Filled with worry I start crying. "Would it have killed you to call me & let me know you were coming home!? Stop acting like a dick head teenager! You are a husband, a father & the sole provider for our family! Either come home on time or call!!" He apologized saying that he didn't have any reception to which I snapped back with, "Then use someone else's phone!" He continued to apologize & said that he wouldn't do something like that again.

It took me a few minutes to calm down, but once I did it hit me that this is what life is going to be like when Logan goes out. He is going to do the exact same things that Bill & I did as teens. I can't count how many times I came home late & never called, always getting into trouble for it when I was in high school. I never thought about how while I was out having a good time, someone was at home listening for sirens.

This is one thing I'm not looking forward to.