Taking advantage of the man in the cast and the first time I got arrested

I've mentioned this often but our current house is within steps of nearly all of my family. My parents live right behind us, my younger sister lives two houses away on our right and my oldest sister is just a little bit further on our left. I think somewhat naturally our house has become the "party house." It's even more so because when my husband's grandparents owned the house, they had a pool installed. Today is one of those days that I love and hate. We are hosting a 3 kid family birthday party for the kids who have late August and September birthdays. I love hosting, I love the fun we have, I love seeing my family but no matter what it seems like we get caught holding the bag for a lot of the prep and clean up. Not to say my family isn't helpful and they won't jump in to help when we ask but sometimes it's just easier to get it done than make all the calls and texts asking people to pitch in. 

When Bubs got hurt on Monday, I made it very clear to my sisters and cousin (the moms of the kids in question) that we are happy to still host but we really have to rely on them to get everything ready and then come back over on Sunday and get the house back in shape. They happily agreed and I sort of kicked myself for not being a little more assertive in the past. I woke up this morning not feeling that great but if I have to admit, I'm using the pregnancy thing to sandbag a little bit and I'm finally going to get the day in bed with my husband that I've been craving for...years. So as I type this, I'm hearing lots of party prep, lots of laughing and lots of coming and going. I do have a little bit of FOMO because the party prep is almost as fun as the party itself and Bubs keeps wanting to get up and help but I keep reminding him that until he sees the orthopedist, every movement is a potential risk because we don't know how bad he's hurt. I have to admit, its a little fun to order him around and I've really enjoyed having him at home  and feeding him with the hopes of fattening him up a bit.  I've also made him get him in the tub so I can give him sponge baths which has been immense fun for both of us. I'm going to insist we do another bath just as soon as I type this up and he's done sending some emails for work. 

I know one of the things that both of us alluded to in the reddit days but we never really talked about are the times I've had encounters with law enforcement. Bubs and I were talking about them this morning and I realize that I just don't recall some of the details like I used to. He has a nearly eidetic  memory so it's nice to get his input but I also realize that if I don't start writing some of this stuff down, it may just pass into memory and I really don't want that happen. So I think at least for the next three entries, I'm going to talk about those incidents. 

I know I'm a very naïve and protected person but I also have a pretty intense temper that we have since learned probably is a symptom of being bi-polar. Ever since I was little, I've never been afraid of physical confrontation and I'm still not. It's something we've only scratched the surface of at any of my therapy sessions so I don't have an official explanation but I think it's probably a combination of things. First of all, because of gymnastics I'm actually pretty strong for my size and pretty athletic and I think that makes me overconfident. Secondly, I think I know in my head that any time men see a 5'2" girl get into any sort of fight there's a natural instinct to step in and stop it, so I inherently  know that I'll be pulled away before any real damage is done.  Thirdly, I can't stand to see people I care about getting screwed with. 

The first time I had legal issues was when I was a junior in high school. We don't live in San Antonio but we live close enough that the Alamo and Riverwalk area are the places people want to see when they visit us from out of town. My dad's brother was in town and my cousin who's a little bit older than me wanted to see the River Walk. She and I drove into town and planned on making a plan once we got there.  She is a gorgeous, gorgeous girl and it wasn't five minutes before a group of college aged guys were hitting on her. Most of them were real jerks but one guy was really nice and they hit it off instantly. With her "off the market" the guys naturally turned their attention to me but I couldn't blurt out "I'm 17 and I have a boyfriend" fast enough which caused them to leave. Since we didn't have a plan, I couldn't really pull my cousin away and I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening playing  third wheel to a blossoming romance happening right in front of my eyes. 

So obviously it was a little awkward because I could tell they wanted to be alone and go in and get drinks at one of the many bars along the Riverwalk. It got insanely awkward when we walked past a group of girls, one of whom apparently had been this guys ex or a past fling or something like that.  I don't think they started out being intentionally confrontational but the Riverwalk is narrow enough in spots that if people get in your way, they are at least going to impede you getting past them which made it tense. I don't remember exactly what was said but this group of girls had clearly been drinking.  The conversation quickly escalated where all the girls started to be directly confrontational to my cousin, as if she was somehow responsible for the break up of a guy she just met. Tense words were exchanged between the guy and the girls, my cousin and I just sort of stood back wondering if maybe we should just walk on because this had nothing to do with us.  After a few tense minutes they went one way and the guy apologized profusely and kind of ushered us in the opposite direction. 

Seconds later, I heard steps coming from behind us and a shriek of "you fucking bitch..." and one of the girls friends lunged at my cousin, apparently trying to yank her back by her hair. I don't have a clear recollection of what happened, in my minds eye I was like a Navy Seal or UFC fighter ready for battle and did all the right moves to prevent the attack from getting any worse. But all I really know is that as soon as I saw that hand reach for my cousin I saw red and I somehow grabbed the girl and next thing I knew I was fully in the water. My head popped up and I could everyone at the outdoor seating at the restaurants on both sides of the river standing up and staring at me, all with this weird ethereal backlighting.  The girl was screaming at me that she was going to kill me if I ruined her phone and I swam after her with the real intent of beating the shit of her which I think scared her because she doggy paddled away in the opposite direction. I felt like one of those pool hooks around my waist and I was being pulled to the ledge to a small group of awaiting police while she was fished out maybe 10 yards away from me. 

One of the things about the Riverwalk is that if you go in the water, it's going to get immediate police attention. If you go in the water and alcohol is involved in any way, you get arrested. The police talked to both parties and since most of the girls were drunk, they decided that it was alcohol related on both our parts and I was put in handcuffs and had my rights read to me. They walked me up the stairs, put me in a car, wrapped me in an absolutely disgusting blanket and took me to the county youth detention center. It turned out the girl who went in the water with me was only 16 so after she was walked through the doors,  we had to sit and stare at each other while handcuffed and sitting on very uncomfortable benches. When they figured out she was still drunk, they took her away and I never saw her again. Since the water is so dirty I had to take a shower in front of a jail guard and put on some left over clothes which apparently belonged to a 6'5" man who had a love for "no fear" gear and I looked ridiculous. 

 I don't remember how long it was until I got to call my parents but I remember being very stoic and not talking or crying until I got my mom on the phone .That's when all the adrenaline drained out of me and I was a blubbering mess. It turned out they were just about to pull up since my cousin had called them. I never had to go back to a holding cell so it was a relatively short process to get me out when they arrived. I literally thought they were going to kill me but apparently my cousin had done a great job selling the story that I was some sort of super hero who saved her and my parents were both oddly proud of me.  I left with a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct and had to appear in front of a judge the next week.  My parents had me talk with a lawyer who went to our church and he said I had nothing to worry about. We went to the hearing and the judge only asked me two questions, had I been drinking and was I telling him the truth. I said no, I had not been drinking at all and yes I being completely honest. He dismissed the charges, sealed any record of the event and the only thing I was required to do was make sure I returned the clothes I "borrowed" back to the detention center. 

So yeah, that was the first time...I was a minor celebrity at school for a few days until a girl named Darcy cheated on her boyfriend with two college guys and my story was quickly overshadowed.  

It's bath time Bubs...wink, wink.