Maternal instincts

My maternal instincts were tested last Thursday and I would have to rank them as "a little sensitive" at this point.

You see, my co-worker Tricia came into my office Wednesday morning around 8:30 a.m. and spotted what looked like a duck frozen in the Waterford pond outside my window. We both expressed concern but our busy morning got the best of us and we got distracted but I never stopped thinking about that duck. All day I would peek outside only to see the little duck still frozen in the same spot in the pond. I looked a little further down the pond to find several other ducks on top of the pond, but none were stuck.

At about 3 p.m. I just couldn't take it any longer - I had to call Waterford maintenance. The lady thought I was crazy but did humor me and said she would send someone out to check on the duck. Kippy showed up at my office and said, "Did someone call about a frozen duck?" By this time the entire office was aware of the duck situation. One co-worker, Debbie, admited to me later that she also thought it was a duck but she thought it was dead. I was at least hopeful.

So Kippy goes out on my balcony and spends about two minutes out there looking down upon the pond before coming inside to say, "I think it's just trash." This was not good enough for me. I am on the fourth floor and thinking was not knowing. So I played the pregnancy card. That's right, I did it. He wasn't going to go out to the pond to check on the duck because it was "cold". I said, "Sir, I would go check, but I'm eight months pregnant." He once again reiterated that it was "cold" outside. I said, well, don't you have a jacket? By this point I was getting emotional. I thought I had waited too long to call someone.

The entire office saw this and thought it was hysterical. After Kippy left we watched out my window to see if he would really go check on our duck. Sure enough Kippy and Henry (the other maintenance man) began to approach the duck. I went out on the balcony and started yelling, "Is it a duck?" I must have yelled it 10 times before they answered me. I was starting to get really nervous. As Kippy approached the duck he looked up at me and said, "It's not a duck." I asked if he was sure. He picked up the "duck" only to find out it was a duck-shaped plastic bag - go figure. I was so relieved! I was sure to tell them thank you for their effort but next time I won't wait so long to call.

Notice the duck-like shape between the fountain and the wall? I promise from my window it looked just like a duck.

Kippy pulling out the duck-shaped plastic bag while Henry looks on.