Rhonda’s day had gone from bad to worse. She had awakened to a package from Amazon, the irreplaceable, at least before the wedding, gift for her niece and her fiancé crushed beyond recognition.
Then the power had gone out and the internet with it. Someone had driven their truck into a substation—deliberately—and it had taken eight hours to repair it. That meant her Zoom meetings for the day had all been cancelled.
She had forgotten to plug her laptop in the night before, so it was only at half charge. She had only managed to write half the report her boss needed the next day before it died. So now she was faced with the prospect of staying up all night to finish it. She fired off a quick email to Larry, explaining what had happened, and asked if he could extend until Monday.
In the meantime, she stalked through the house like an angry bear, snarling at even the tiniest annoyance. She knew she was overreacting and making things worse, but she just couldn’t stop herself. It had been a really shitty day.
Not able to face the work that lay before her, she collapsed into her big stuffed chair, curling her legs behind her, and closed her eyes. Breathe, Rhonda. Just breathe.
Rhonda only realized she had fallen asleep when a hand lightly touched her own. She startled awake to see her daughter kneeling in front of her. “Kelly?”
“I know you’ve had a rough day, Mom. Larry called and said Monday is fine.”
Kelly tilted her chin toward the end table beside Rhonda’s chair. One of Rhonda’s fine china teacups, a wisp of steam rising from it, sat next to the book from her bedside table.
“Just rest a bit. I’ve got dinner on, and we both know there’s nothing a cup of tea and a good book can’t make better.”
Rhonda squeezed Kelly’s hand. “Thank you, honey.”
As Kelly retreated from the room, Rhonda sipped her tea. The first sip was always the best. Setting the cup down, she picked up her book and opened it to last night’s bookmark. With a contented sigh, all the tension of the day left her body, as her mind disappeared into the fantasy world laid out before her.
In October I went on a spree of creating images of teacups. I started drinking tea when I was quite young, growing up in a household of tea drinkers. Some people turn to alcohol when stressed. I put the kettle on. The addition of a good book never goes wrong!
I also created two designs for my Redbubble shop for those of us who love a good cup of tea and a great book. You can browse the items they’re available on by following these links. 👇
Green or Jasmine tea is my morning tea. Chai on the weekends or special times. I have several special cups. One of my dad's fighter plane in WWII which I use when I need his support from the other side. 2 mugs that we got when sailing the Caribbean 30 years ago for indulgent times. 1 from a friend whom I would listen to her life stories during her last year, for reminiscing. 1 I rarely use I got in Monet's garden in Giverny, France. I could use that one to follow my dreams.
From bad to worse to better. A common journey. 💕