the white underwear and blue helmet error

So today I did something so stupid I am still trying to wrap my head around it.  But first I will have to stop laughing.  And get my family to stop laughing.  And my friends.  And colleagues.  And teachers at CBC.  And most of all my son. 

He has 8 stitches in his ear from a small freak accident last week.  He plays cricket 4 days a week and obviously going in to bat with the helmet on is tricky as it rubs the stitches.  He told me yesterday, before today's game, that he may have to put something over the ear. 

This afternoon, around the time the match should start, he sends me a whatsapp asking me to please bring him, or buy him, a speedo or a white pair of underpants as he needs it for the game.  I realised that obviously he wanted to bat and did not have something for his ear and wanted to put this on his head.  What normal person would think that?  I am gobsmacked at my idiocy.  So I race off to Hatfield Mall.  Total Sports has speedos but I am not paying a fortune for one when he does not swim for the school.  I race into Mr Price but as time is short I am irritated to find 243 pairs of underpants all in colours, stripes, dots and everything except white.  I am also wondering why he wanted a big size when he is not big.  Only tall.  6ft 2".  And why white?  Then I spot it in a beacon of light at the back of the shelf .... a pack of 3 and one is white.  But it is a smaller size than he asked for.  So here comes the more than previous idiotic move.  I take the white one out and quickly put it over my head and ears .... It fits me well so it will fit him but I cannot help but wonder how this flappy thing is gonna work.  But it is his helmet and I do as asked.  Just then a young boy looks up at me .... standing in the store in the men's department with a pair of white underpants on my head and says "Tannie, wat maak jy?" (Lady, what are you doing).... I glare at him, I mean what the hell does it look like I am doing?  Trying on white underpants. 

I pay and race to the school, he is bowling and I am glad that I arrive before the 2nd innings when he will have to bat.  At the break between innings I proudly tell him that I have purchased the underpants as requested and they are in his bag.  He says it is a little late.  "Nonsense", I say, "you are only going in to bat now, put on the underpants before you hurt your stitches". 

Now it is hard to say what was in that look my son gave me ..... horror, pity, disgust, laughter, disbelief .... it was a thousand emotions that crossed his face before he burst out laughing ..... "Mom", he said, "I left my 2nd pair of undies at home, I need to put my cricket "box" into my pants between the two pair of underpants.  I said white, so it does not shine through my white pants.  There is silence as I realise with absolute clarity what he wanted, but also with absolute clarity that I had just stood in Mr Price trying underpants on my head.  The laughter that erupted from the teachers and parents was fantastic.  Nic shook his head every time he looked at me for the next hour.  Everyone kept asking him if he has his underpants on. 

It is now 6 hrs later.  I am still laughing. And the chirps keep coming via fb, whatsapp and sms from all those who witnessed this .....

I have been a cricket mom for 9 years .... it shows hey!!! 

till next time 
c'est la vie.