sick
I lost my voice Saturday night. That hasn’t happened to me since I was a child.
I stayed home from work today because I still can’t speak in more than a whisper or rasp and my throat was hurting like crazy. I said that I’d go to work tomorrow no matter what, because I’ve already planned two “sick” days this Friday and Monday, because my kids are off school then. I’m still new enough at my work that they’re making me ineligible for vacation days until May.
Even with all my vacation days and sick days and the floating holiday (16 total,) I just barely have enough days to stay home with my kids on the days that they’re off school and yet not at their dad’s house. And everyone I know here in town either works or babysits someone else, so no one can watch my kids for me.
So I don’t really have any days to actually be sick. I’m multi-tasking as it is – early Friday morning I’m having my wisdom teeth removed so that I can recover and babysit my kids at the same time.
My youngest son just threw up all over the couch – chicken and rice. Rice puke is like sticky lint soup, I noted as I scrubbed it up and then unzipped all the affected couch cushions.
Normally my kids’ vomit doesn’t bother me, because I’m a seasoned veteran when it comes to the handling of children’s bodily fluids. But this rice puke made my stomach churn a little, as if maybe this laryngitis isn’t the last lingering symptom of whatever illness I have.
If my youngest son is sick enough to stay home tomorrow, I’ll have to stay home, too.
If I run out of sick/vacation/floating days, my company will dock my pay for any absences after that.
How sad is it when a person has to contemplate changing jobs in the middle of the school year in order to get enough sick days?
