Somebody has to find humor in the incident; Lord knows I am trying to. If anything, it was a learning experience. I expect the security guard is still collecting himself off of the floor of his truck after hearing my confession. I had to tell someone; I didn’t want to just drive away, leaving the smell of disaster to invoke panic in those who couldn’t keep away from the building on a company holiday.
Well, actually we DID drive away. But then I came back to the parking lot. I then confessed to the guard, only I didn’t tell him the whole story. I just asked him if he was there because of the smell coming from the kitchen. I told him that we burned something in the kitchen. Simple. Right? He seemed to enjoy hearing the story.
I hated being in the situation. It is easy to focus on the I should have’s after the fact. I am still kicking myself for thinking that YaYa knew better. Of course he didn’t.
Here’s what happened: My work has Cup-O-Noodle Soup packages for free and the kids love to have some whenever we stop in for me to check email on my day off, or whatever the reason. YaYa usually goes off with BoBo to collect up the goods so that by the time they have their soup I am ready to go. The system has worked out pretty well…until now.
The missing piece was BoBo. He wasn’t with us today. I had told YaYa to wait for me but, when he headed to the kitchen ahead of me, I didn’t stop him. I went to my desk, thinking I would dock my computer, log in, and let my settings load while I retrieved YaYa.
Well, I soon got sidetracked. In reading and responding to the emails regarding BoBo’s curriculum for his 2nd semester (the reason why I needed to go to work), I forgot about YaYa until I heard him calling for me. I quickly got up. Immediately, I saw in his face that something bad had happened. Something was wrong. I pictured noodles and soup all over the floor, but that wasn’t it.
I arrived in the kitchen to find a thick cloud of smoke. My eyes nearly bulged out of my head as I wondered how on earth hot water from a tap could have ended up causing smoke. Then I saw the reason for the smoke, and I realized that YaYa didn’t have a clue on how to prepare Cup-O-Noodle Soup.
He must have never watched BoBo making it because my son had put the package into the microwave, paper wrapping included, and without water for a total of 3 minutes.
So there we were frantically fanning the smoke detectors, and hoping that we wouldn’t have to explain the whole situation to the fire department. My heart was pounding and the smoke hurt but I held back the tears (barely) until the air had cleared enough to leave the building.
I am sure the smell will still be there when I arrive to work tomorrow. I am certain that everyone will be talking about it and wondering who the moron was who would let their kid into the kitchen to cook without supervising them. They will probably pull up the surveillance tapes and watch the whole thing unfold. There will probably be a new policy to not bring kids into the office…ever!
And it’s all my fault.
Note: This is where you laugh and help me to find the humor. I don’t want to hear what a good parent I am. Still, I assure you, I’ve learned my lesson.
YaYa now tells me that directions say “let stand for 3 minutes.” He says that Conor must have used the microwave to time the 3 minutes. It makes perfect sense now.
You got me laughing!
Stuff happens. If they gave you remote access to your email you wouldn’t have to go in on your day off so really, it’s their fault. Totally their fault!
When I was in high school, a classmate of mine put a paperback book in the school microwave as a prank. I think it cooked for about 5 minutes. Nothing happened. Until the book came out of the microwave and BURST INTO FLAMES!!! It’s funny now, but it was mortifying then.
Just hope that he doesn’t turn into this guy: http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/weird/microexp.html
I like the way you have written . Its really fantastic . I like the way you have written . nice .
That is funny! Poor YaYa must have been worried when he saw the smoke! So, you think they have surveillance tapes in the kitchen? Are they watching to see how many cup-o-noodles you eat? Too funny!
That reminds me of a story. When I was in high school, my parents had friends over and were upstairs playing cards. Eric and I were hanging out in the basement rec room with my little brothers and sisters. We decided to make popcorn (these were the days before microwaves). We set up the popper and waited. Nothing happened. After a while I looked inside to find kernels imbedded in a bubbling gooey mess. I asked Eric how he had made the popcorn and he told me he’d poured in the Karo syrup, then the kernels, just like you are supposed to! Poor guy – didn’t know the difference between Karo and vegetable oil!
Well, he did try to follow directions…. I’d play dumb tomorrow if anyone brings it up.
Doh!
Luckily, it was cup-o-noodle soup and not a science experement gone haywire! LOL! I agree with Anne… *Soup, what soup — I don’t smell any thing!*
Ha, ha! yea, I’m laughing, because Matthew did the same thing in the microwave at my house because the 12 year old forgot to add the water… What a mess…
While it’s hard to find the humor in this now, next year it will be the funniest thing in the world.
so what you’re saying that you’ve never done anything like that???
Dude, I nuke something to death at work just about every day!
LMAO!!!
I used to go with my mom to her office (mortgage co) & I did something to the coffee pot/machine & I think it had to do with a toater & the electic; I can’t remember. I do know the fire dept came.
All I remember is getting yelled at for getting my swiss-miss hot chocolate that I got every Saturday I came to work with her.
Except, Like YaYa, I tried to get it myself.
In a short time I assure you it’ll be funny. I’m gonna call my mom & ask her to (again ) recount the happenings of that day at her job. Its’ been 10 or more yrs since she’s told the story.
I do know her boss was fined $800-; which in 1978 was alot. :o)
She didn’t get fired, she got promoted 2 months later & I still always came with her on Saturdays.
Not a great parent, btu great story for you to tell about YaYa later!!!
This is so funny! I hope poor YaYa wasn’t too freaked out though…of course this stuff is bound to happen.
A for effort in attempting to make soup on his own!
we were banned from making popcorn at the office because someone (not I, thankfully!) burned a bag of it once… on a day we had a Board of Trustees meeting (think $$million$$ donors) in our meeting room, right next to the kitchen. Our VP was so P!ssed off we didn’t allow popcorn even three years after she left!!
The story made me smile because it really is cute what kids do sometimes. :>)
I don’t know where you work… but where I work, there is always someone that seems to microwave something beyond recognition and stink up the joint. I worked next to a lady for a year that burned the popcorn about twice a week (and still brought it back to her desk to eat it!).
I say no harm, no foul. At least it didn’t catch fire!
And I bet he’ll never be going to breakroom alone ever again. :)