It is now almost 3.30am, and Mum has just gone back to bed after I woke her up at 2.45am … I don’t know what I would have done without her tonight, but I can say I would have been sleeping in the car for the night!
I finished work at 2am, and got home just before 2.30am, only to find a not-so-lovely huntsman spider sitting waiting for me right above the security entrance door into the building. My pulse rate quickened a lot, but I ducked off to my car and grabbed my can of surface spray from the glove box (yes, I am such an arachnaphobe that I carry a can in my car!), returned to the building door and stood at a safe distance and sprayed that sucker! Everything was going swimmingly as it ran off away from the door, but then the ‘little’ bugger doubled back and ran underneath the door! For me that then put me in a terrible quandary – I literally stood rooted to the spot for 15 whole minutes, and was so worked up I was nearly in tears when I considered trying to open the door not knowing where the damned spider was! After another 5 minutes I decided I had two choices … either sleep in my car for the night and deal with it in the daylight when the surface spray would hopefully have done its job, or wake Mum up at that ungodly hour to come to my rescue …
I almost headed off to my car to tuck myself in for a few hours, when I thought that Mum would be really worried when she woke up and I wasn’t home … after a while I just dialled that home phone from my mobile and woke her up. I feel so bad I had to do that, but my phobia is just so great that I honestly couldn’t bring myself to get through that door any other way! Another 10 minutes later and she arrived with broom in hand to let me in, saying she hadn’t seen it anywhere … feeling brave, I walked in the door, only to spy it sitting on the inside of the bottom step on the stairs – half a can of surface spray later and it was stunned enough to let me do a panic run past it, trembling like a leaf … I don’t know how the hell I’ll deal with the body later, but I don’t want to think about it right now.
When we got upstairs I just wanted to cry and my heart felt like it was about to beat itself right out of my chest … I even made Mum put her hand on my heart to feel how fast my heart was pounding and she couldn’t get over it! I know I’m a big wuss-puss where huntsman spiders are concerned (in fact ALL spiders), and my body literally goes into ‘terror mode’. No doubt I’ll be having nightmares all night tonight … but at least now my heart rate has returned to normal, and Mum my saviour has settled down again to try to get back to sleep. I have to admit, though, I’ll always freak out a tiny bit when I got through that door now hmmmm.
On a different note I had an interesting ‘treat’ when I got into work … a big poster of my face saying “you’re a star” etc up on the wall by the main Supervisor’s desk – a publicity photo from the eXcel service awards … I felt so embarrassed, but quite proud at the same time. I’d better get used to it, as apparently it’s going to be up all year long!
Rightio, time to go and try to get some sleep … I don’t know why, but I’m expecting it to take some doing tonight! ;P
Feather Stitching 
I have daringly Googled ‘huntsman spider’ and looked at those enormous things. I don’t have what I’d call a spider phobia, but I don’t know if I could’ve made myself go into a dark apartment with one of those things lurking around either. ((((shudder!))))) Hugs to your Mom, a truly fearless woman!
Geez, I had to google it too and ack!! I would have been in the exact same state, Anne. (((hugs)))
I understand your fear of spiders! i have that fear too! One time I set in the Kansas heat for 2 hours until Jack got to work! Why? There was a spider on the door and I was not getting close enough to that thing to kill it!
i googled too. Ugh … wish I hadn’t now – not this close to bedtime anyway. I can feel things crawling all over me now. Arrrghhhhh
*hugs* Anne!!! I SO know how you feel!! I am creeping just thinking about it! {{{HUGS}}}
((Anne)) I can so relate. At least the spiders here are not poisonous!
Oh my GOSH! Those suckers are huge! I fear even tiny spiders; that boy would have had me in tears, as well. I’m so glad that you mum was there to help! *hug*
Oh Anne, you poor girl. My MIL and a few of my friends are also terrified of spiders, and I’ve often been called on to rescue them (or the spider!). We got a call from MIL one Saturday night about 10 pm. She was in tears, saying “I can’t go to bed, there’s a spider in there”. So we hotfooted over there (40 minutes drive) and I turned her bedroom inside out looking, but it had gone. Ken stayed in the other room with his Mum! He’s not really scared but has a healthy respect for them. We often had them on the walls in our house when I was a kid, and Dad taught us to treat them as little pets. We didn’t handle them mind you – but we liked to find where they were each day, and put some juicy dead flies around nearby!
I didn’t even Google it – I’m not too worried by smaller spiders but large ones – ICK!
Sorry you were so scared and it’s a good job your mum was there to let you in so you didn’t have to spend the night in the car! {{Hugs}}
I don’t have a fear of spiders, but the big ones do give me the shivers! Glad this one is dead and gone!
I sooooo understand how you feel. I hate spiders too and have been known to call “spiderbuster” friends to have them drive for an hour to come get rid of one for me.
Brave mum – give her a hug from me too!