MOTHERHOOD

Better to Leave Unrecognizable Containers in The Fridge Closed

Whoever put it there must have thought no one would find it

While cleaning out the refrigerator one day, I encountered an unmarked, closed Styrofoam container. Not thinking it was anything but soup or food, I was in for a huge surprise when I opened the lid and peeked inside.

Fishing, a new hobby

When my youngest son, Andrew, was 12, he developed a keen interest in fishing, which was made possible by our proximity to a nearby lake. He would spend his weekends and after-school hours walking down to the lake with his fishing gear and bait to try his luck.

I once asked him why he never brought any fish home, and he reminded me that he didn’t like to eat fish but rather enjoyed the challenge of catching them and releasing them back into the lake. Since I didn’t like to clean and cook fish, I was content with this arrangement.

There was a small bait and tackle shop located between our house and the lake that Andrew liked to visit. He became good friends with the owner and would often carry out small tasks around the store in exchange for bait and hooks.

While there, he gained knowledge about different types of bait, the best fishing poles, and how to string them. He also took pride in packing bait worms for customers.

Despite not having an interest in fishing, I still encouraged my son’s hobby and allowed him to spend time at the bait and tackle shop and the lake, as long as he completed his responsibilities and schoolwork.

The only expectation was that he would return home in time for dinner.

A surprise in the fridge

One day, while Andrew was away visiting his father, I took the opportunity to clean out my refrigerator. Beginning with the top shelf, I worked my way down, taking out containers of leftovers. I’ve always been mindful not to waste food, but sometimes it just doesn’t get eaten and has to be discarded.

I made a mental note of what ingredients we had left and the meals I could prepare with them.

While clearing the middle shelf, I came across a small Styrofoam soup cup I didn’t recognize. It had a tight lid and no label. I couldn’t recall putting it there myself, so I figured it might be something Andrew brought home from the deli and forgot about.

I thought it best to give it the sniff test to determine if it was still good or past its prime.

Without a second thought, I opened the lid to find oatmeal — just dry oatmeal. For a few moments, I thought, “Why would there be oatmeal in a cup in the refrigerator?”

As I stared at the cup in confusion, I noticed the oatmeal seemed to be moving. It was then that a small, worm-like creature wriggled its way to the surface. I was completely caught off guard by the sight of it and panicked, throwing the container in the air and causing its contents to spill out all over the floor.

To my horror, it wasn’t just one worm, but an entire container of them.

Since I had never encountered mealworms before, it took me a moment to realize they were bait for fishing and they would likely die if left on the floor. I hurried to find a dustpan and whisk broom to collect the worms and the mess of oatmeal.

As I was scooping them up, the worms wriggled and squirmed in every direction, but I managed to gather them all, pour the mixture back into the cup, and close the lid before returning it to the spot in the refrigerator where I had found it.

When my son returned home, I had to tell him what had happened. As I was scolding him for keeping live bait in the fridge, not labeling the container, and then neglecting to warn me of their existence, he was already running to the fridge to see if they were still alive. Somehow, they were.

“I forgot to tell you about them, sorry,” he said, laughing. “But I could just picture the look on your face when you opened the container and started screaming.”

Secretly, I saw the humor in the situation but wasn’t laughing in front of him.

He needed to be more cognizant when storing his bait; I would not want a repeat of that event.

This time, I had the last laugh

He must have forgotten the whole incident because not too long after visiting his father, he made the same mistake, but this time with big worms — night crawlers.

I couldn’t keep from laughing when he told me his father opened his fridge for something to eat, pulled off the lid of what looked like a cup of soup, and freaked out more than I did when he found a container of huge, tangled worms moving around in the dirt.

Those worms didn’t fare so well, though. My ex was fuming and threw the whole container in the garbage, dirt, worms, and all. He also issued a warning to my son to never put anything that even remotely resembled a worm, including a rubber worm, in his refrigerator ever again.

I couldn’t help but chuckle as my son relayed the story to me.

This time I was the one who had a good laugh, trying to picture the expression on my ex-husband’s face when he opened the cup. It would have been amusing to witness his reaction.

Thanks so much for reading. If you enjoyed my story, here is another you may like. To be added to my mailing list, click here. Feel free to reply to any of my stories. Happy reading!