I Read Banned Books

I went to bed at 8:00 PM PST last night. I just woke up. It is 10:26 AM PST. I should be at work today, but I am not obviously. I would normally feel guilty about calling in sick, but that will never ever happen again after the day I had yesterday.

I feel like crap warmed over in a special sauce. I have never used that phrase before because I have never felt like this before. If you have not had this “bug” already, I wish you luck and lots of Airborne and hand sanitizer (which did not work for me by the way). It is indescribable. However, it will not be unforgettable due to the actions of two of my co-workers yesterday. Today I introduce you to Mamacita and Charlie Brown.

Mamacita is my direct supervisor. She is the assistant principal. We finished the district’s leadership course simultaneously. She was appointed to her dean of student position at a local magnet high school a few weeks prior to my own appointment as dean of students. She did not work in a real dean’s office. She was appointed assistant principal at my current school one year later. Oh, yes, I was very resentful at first. I’ve come to understand though that I am a minority in my district. A cracker female will never get promoted before a brown female. Mamacita is Hawaiian/Mexican/Philipino/something else or another mix. Regardless, she is my direct supervisor, and I have covered for her countless times when her one, two, or all three of her kids were sick. She was out two days this week due to her kids being sick with the same
thing I have. I threw up at work three times yesterday and was running a fever of 102, but she could not cover for me for one extra hour last night because her son had a soccer game (that her husband would be attending).

Charlie Brown is my partner. He is an all-around good man; hence, the name I have bestowed him (which makes his actions yesterday a little unbelievable). He witnessed me running out of the office three times yesterday with my hand clasped over my mouth. He knew I was sick because I spent the majority of my day in the office, reclined across three office chairs, with the light off, wrapped in two coats. I covered at a three-hour weekend event for him two weeks ago because his wife had signed him up for an event with the Democratic Party, and her father is someone substantial in this town. He could not cover for me last night because of something with one of his kids too. Sadly, I am 1.5 years his senior and served as his mentor, but he is looking for a promotion too and will probably get one before me because he has more connections and is a man. However, because he is also a cracker, he may wait slightly longer.

This is starting to look like a familiar theme. What happened to do unto others? Like Kelly Clarkson belted out, “But I never will … never again.”

Where was Devil Wears Purple in all this? She was home recuperating after having an outpatient procedure yesterday to determine if the lump in her breast is benign or malignant. She is the only one who offered to come back to school for the hour event so that I could go home. I adamantly said, “No, you will not. I will manage, but I am not coming to work tomorrow. Put your husband on the phone.” After I talked to her husband, he reassured me that she would not come in because he had already hidden her keys. I know I often refer to her as the fucktacular boss, but she still thought of me on a day when she was going through something no woman should ever have to go through. I will always remember her selfless offer.

As far as the other two, I hope they both got my germs yesterday because I have 17 weeks of fun planned. I am so busy that I will not be able to do anything extra for the remainder of the school year. It just does not work with my calendar. Wink-wink.