Us

This has been a summer of milestones for S: First, she jetted off to South America with her dad, and WITHOUT ME, to visit his family. Second, she jumped off a diving board and swam in 12 feet of scary, wet, could-be-sharks-in-there-water. Third: She learned to face certain fears with pluck and vigor. Fourth: She jetted off again to visit family, this time without her dad OR me. I mean, that’s huge for a girl who needs somebody to walk her to the bathroom in her own house. Granted, she flew with family, so she didn’t fly alone; but she flew away from US, and that, my friends, IS huge.

You know what else is huge? The fact that her flying away led to another milestone: MARRIED PEOPLE WERE LEFT ALONE. ALONE AS IN: NO KIDS. ALONE AS IN: Well…Some
things are better left unsaid.

SO. This Alone Time has been pretty cool. We went to see a movie, one that didn’t include animation or giggly, screaming tween girls, and it didn’t have to be planned a year in advance. In fact, we decided on-the-fly to see it HALF AND HOUR BEFORE IT STARTED. We had dinner with friends, and it didn’t include censored or interrupted conversation. We took a late summer-night drive in a convertible, and we didn’t have to watch the clock. We came and went as we pleased, both separately and together (GOD, get your mind out of the gutter!), and can I tell you how wonderful it has been?

Don’t get me wrong: I miss my kid. Alot, even. But in getting this little slice of life without her I have also realized just how much I have really missed the “us” of M and me. We were “us” for 11 years before S came along. And during those 11 years, we experienced so many amazing things together as JUST “us”. Yes, we have experienced amazing things together as not just “us”, namely, actually becoming a Not Just “Us”. But sometimes, the line that separates the past from the present becomes a little too defined, and a little blurring of that line to somehow re-join the two halves is needed.

And that is what this week has done.

The extra-cool thing about it has been that we didn’t experience it in the altered reality of some lush tropical resort, or under the romantic covers of some plush hotel. Instead, we got to re-experience REAL LIFE at HOME, with work, and bills, and every day happenings, as JUST US again. As dull as it may sound to some, re-connecting on that level and seeing that we can still laugh together, have fun together, or just “be” together… that is the best part of all.

S comes home tomorrow, and I can’t wait to smoosh her wiggly little body. I can’t wait to love on her as she rolls her eyes and acts all smothered and bothered. I just can’t wait to clap my eyes on that kid.

And as we settle back into our routine together, all of us, I will carry with me a little smile in my heart knowing that, yeah, her dad and I? We’re good.

~Patti