A Cockroach Roast



I have an abnormal fear of cockroaches.
Clinically psychotic, unbridled, scream your guts out fear.
I dream about cockroaches probably every other night. No joke. I need medication for this.
I can barely type the word without feeling the shivers grapevine down my spine. I've only seen three of these heirs of Satan in our apartment since we moved here. Unfortunately all three of those blessed events have been nearly enough to throw me into cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrest...or a full blown emotional breakdown.
Last night we shut off the lights, flipped on the fan switches, and snuggled into our line-dried sheets. I usually can't fall asleep until I rest my head on Blair's chest and let the sound of his heartbeat lullaby me to bed. So we assumed the head on chest position and started to doze to sleep...

And that's when I started to think about my roachy nemesis.
The bottom of my feet felt like little insect feet were pitter pattering all over my skin.
Every shadow on the wall looked like it had antlers and a hump-shaped back. I whispered to my sleepy husband in my pouting voice "Huuunnnneeeey? I think there's a cockroach...". He seemed to doze off to sleep as I continued thrashing in the sheets and itching all over.

This next part is when I almost divorced my husband. Stop reading here, children.
Blair quietly grabbed a bulky balled-up hair band that was lying on the bed and softly dropped it down the back of my shirt. With the sudden sensation of the disguised cockroach touching my back, I went spastic. My natural insect defense mechanism is apparently screaming and making myself have a seizure. I don't know what I was thinking. If that hairband really would have been a cockroach, my frantic jumping on the bed and landing on my back would have turned him into creamy soup.

After Blair got me to stop screaming and flailing my arms, he told me it wasn't really a cockroach. Just a hairband, he chuckled. I beat him up and then I started crying. Uncontrollably, cry yourself to sleep sobbing.

Over a hairband disguised as a cockroach. I need therapy.

Anyone want to share any abnormal fears?

Please tell me someone else has cried over an insect.

Comments

That's exactly what I would have done...the hardest part about Brazil was the cockroaches. I have some pretty funny bug stories.
Zane and Lexi said…
um, I just bought roach motels at IGA. I hate the things and haven't seen ANY in my apt. until this month (3) I can't handle them - just ask Zane about when he tried to kill one and it went up his pants!!
Ashley said…
Lex, that is my worst nightmare!!! What happened?!!
Kalli said…
I have a highly abnormal fear of barnacles. Truth.

This also includes any crustacean parasite, or parasite in general.
Willis Family said…
Blair...keep the jokes coming!!
I feel the same about those disgusting creatures!!! I almost did not read this post due to the content of it! :) We've only seen one in our house so far...but i fear them all the time!! I'm so nervous i'll one day look over at my dear child (when he really starts to crawl) holding one, halfway in his mouth....oh heaven help me!!!
Maria said…
Just remember that although they might seemed a bit scary you hold the power. That is what I kept telling myself. Seriously, the are small creatures and we have the advantages! About 2 weeks ago a killed one and it was big too. That was a big step for me. Although I killed the thing I left it there for Matt to pick it up when he got home from school. You can do it!
You crack me up..Your husband is a brave soul to pull a stunt like that!
Unknown said…
I almost cried because there was a GIANT SPIDER on the windshield RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE and David would not pull over to kill it for me.

But then he did. And he has teased me about it ever since.
Rachel said…
Ash, you know my irrational fear of Grasshoppers. My sister likes to hide plastic ones in my purse or my car. I almost crashed once because there was a fake on my backseat. One time Keiko and I were walking to the other XanGo building and there was a grasshopper so I started running and went inside the building...she came in with her hands cupped like she was holding it and I started crying.
Ashley said…
Bless your souls. I just canceled my therapy appointment. Good to know there are other psychopaths out there ;)
Jenae said…
Gosh, you have me crying one day, and gut busting laughter the next...Ashley, your blog is my therapy.

I have to tell you that I always looked to you as being perfect... I always admired you through High School and wished I was cool enough to be a good friend of yours! Haha! Hearing about booger balls, pee sticks, spaghettio's, and your spastic siezures makes me just love you even more. Thank you for making me feel more normal!

I was dying laughing thinking about your skinny little body flipping out over a cockroach...I am surprised that Blair didn't accidentally get a fist in the face or something! When I wig out like that, someone always gets hurt!

I am certain that if I had lived Brazil, I'd be afraid of a few insects too. My man went there on his mission and tells me stories about the spiders and everything. Gross.
Krista said…
Don't feel bad. One time I freaked out because I was brushing my teeth and when I went to spit there was an earwig in my toothbrush. The difference between my story and yours is that instead of flinging my arms, I said a few choice words:) It happens to the best of us I guess.
dustin said…
I have a terrible fear of Cheerios. No joke.
Laurie said…
I have been feeling the same way about spiders lately ever since I found one on our carpet. It was huge, and had tons of little baby spiders attached to her. We didn't want to kill a mother spider and her babies, so we captured her in a cup and let it go across the street. I saw spiders every time I closed my eyes for a week.
Ashley said…
Dustin - cheerios? seriously?!!!

Laurie - You're way nicer than I am. I would've had my own little spider genocide ceremony right there in the living room!! I'm telling you these creatures were Adam & Eve's punishment for partaking of the fruit ;) lol.
mccall said…
Ashley... listen to me. The next time you see a cockroach, you need to do as Laurie did and capture the thing and take it outside. Not too close to your house, though. The reason is... This little cockroach will thank you for not killing him and he will tell all of his cockroach friends how nice you are and then they will never bother you!
Blair said…
The funniest part about McCall's comment is that she really truly believes that's what will happen.. :)
Ashley said…
McCall - you've gotta be out of your freaking mind if you think I would put that little menace in a leather interior jar and take him on a field trip to the jungle. I prefer to send him straight to the spirit world. Thanks for the suggestion though. I'm not exactly PITA material.
Julie Winckler said…
Many years ago back in Texas there was a huge roach in my apartment. C.J. got a paper towel, picked it up and was going to throw it outside when instead he turned and acted like he was going to throw it on me. I ran and cowered in the corner screaming and crying hysterically. I still am scarred by that incident.
mccall said…
Ash, if you're going to be a self-proclaimed hippy, you gotta jump in with both feet.
Mike and Kim said…
Oh my I HATE bugs! We had cockroaches in our apartment in Hawaii and it was so sick! I hate hate hate them with a passion. Spiders also make me cry and if I seem them I freak out and make Mike kill them. I would have done the same thing as you. I know Heavenly Father made bugs for a reason, but why do they have to come into our houses??? Who knows
Kerry said…
I feel the same way about crickets that you do cockroaches. Sometimes in TX, we get massive infestations of them. They take over shopping center parking lots and they fly around with their disgusting cricket wings right into your hair and face. I die. Talk about a desire to puke!

There was one chirping away in my classroom this week, and I stopped a male student in 5th grade and begged him to find it and take it outside. He moved the box that we found it on toward the door, opened it, and in hopped 3 other grody, beastly crickets. I screamed and ran back towards my classroom as fast as my midget legs would carry me. Thankfully that brave student saved the day by getting all of the crickets back out into the grassy habit where they belong.

PS: I gagged about 5 times writing this.

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