Scorpion Scarlett

If you've ever met my parents, you've been invited over to their home. Norm and Mary are continuously hospitable, and invite complete strangers to Thanksgiving dinner. If you are a friend, you have probably been asked to spend a couple of nights, and went on to enjoy their wonderful cooking and gorgeous views. Every couple of months a LOCAL couple even spend the night, rather than drinking and driving. I'm not sure how my parents keep up with the demands of entertaining, but they seem to enjoy it.

Two weeks ago, my mom and dad had a couple come and stay with them. Cliff is in his sixties and is an old childhood friend of my father's. Cliff and his wife Scarlett live in a small town in Michigan, and haven't traveled the world much (when Thai for dinner was suggested, they said 'what?') The foursome spent the afternoon by the pool. Cliff and Scarlett were fascinated with the flora and fauna of Arizona. They asked what sort of bugs and insects we have out here. My parents downplayed the famously-hyped scorpions and tarantulas. Because in actuality, no one sees them much. If you want to catch a glimpse of such creatures, you need to leave the neighborhoods and search out in the desert. This was Cliff and Scarlett's first trip out west, and it seemed a different world from Michigan.

Cliff and Scarlett left my parents' house at dawn the next day to catch their flight home. My parents received a call from Cliff later that morning. He told my mom that Scarlett had been bitten by something when she got out of bed that morning. When she swung her legs down, she felt a sharp, stinging pain. My mother had no idea what could have happened. A while later, Cliff called again to say that Scarlett was now feeling "shaky" and her vision was becoming blurred. My mother ran to the guest room, unsure of what she was looking for. She checked the floor, and then pulled back the comforter of the bed. There, on the flat sheet, was an enormous scorpion. The sucker was running across the bed, and was the size of an index finger. After some screaming and hoopla my mom and dad killed the scorpion. It took both of them to kill it. One to scream, and the other to hit it with a boot.

Scarlett is fine. After sitting in an airport wheelchair for a while, she recovered enough to get on the flight home. I wonder if they'll ever come back to stay at my parents. Next time I'm over my parents' house, I'll be looking for scorpions everywhere I walk. I'll be napping in the living room from now on , too.