Weather: Sunny, cool, and very windy. At a fountain in a corporate office park on Route 1, the wind was blowing the fountain spray sideways in slanting sheets of vapor.

Blossoms: Tulips! Not everywhere yet, but in a few places that are exposed to full sun.

Watching: "Sports Night," of course.

Neither a Borrower

9:35 a.m. When we got home from picking up Tab last night, we found a message from Sarah on the answering machine, in which she said she needed to ask us for a "really big favor." I called her back to find out what was up and heard what I've been half expecting to hear ever since Sarah moved in with Nana and Rita this winter: she totalled Rita's car last Friday night.

Sarah was coming home from her waitress job late at night. It was raining, and she hit a patch of water on Route 1. She hydroplaned, pulled the wheel sharply, and ended up turning the car over completely. She was literally hanging by her seatbelt, but miraculously walked away from the crash without a scratch. Amazing, that, considering how small that little Toyota Tercel was.

Rita has never been happy about Sarah driving her car, but she didn't have the gumption to forbid her. Instead, she tried to get Sarah's uncles (one of them being my father, who lives 500 miles away) to take action. Of course, they kept shifting the responsibility back to Rita, where it rightfully belonged. I sympathized with Rita; much as I like Sarah, I wouldn't want a 19-year-old driving my only car. All along I thought Rita should just take the keys away and tell Sarah she could take a bus or a cab to school and work until she bought her own car.

And now Rita's car is smashed. I don't know what she is going to do. Though the car had less than 50,000 miles on it, it was at least ten years old, so she won't get much in insurance. Rita has been on disability due to a variety of health problems for years; I doubt she'll ever be able to purchase another decent car.

The "big favor" Sarah mentioned was a ride sometime this week to a car dealership in Hightstown where she is "going to work something out." I guess she is planning to buy or lease a car for herself; for Rita's sake, I wish she had done so last week.

Conversations with Stephen

On the way home from dropping off Tab, Stephen announced, "I want to be a mama when I get big."

"How about being a daddy, honey?" I asked.

"No, I don't want to be a daddy. I want to be a mama."

"Stephen, don't step in that bucket! You'll trip and hurt yourself. Use your head!"

Stephen picked up the bucket and placed it on his head. "Like this, Mama?"

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