A Perfect Rainy Sunday Afternoon
In retrospect it was perfect. In the midst of it, a little stressful! But let me start at the beginning.
I got home from church a little after 10:oo to find DS2 standing around and DS1 still in bed (they were supposed to be there at 10.) So I send DS2 off (it’s only a short walk) and when DS1 comes sleepily down the stairs I tell him to just take a shower and help me tidy up the place and he can just skip church (one of the downsides of only 1 service.)
I vacuumed my room and cleaned the upstairs bathroom. Then tackled the dresser at the end of the hallway that used to hold a fish tank and for the last 4 months or so has had a fish-tank shaped ring of dried fish-food and crusty water ick on the top. Tidied up my room, too. DS1 took out garbage and helped with the general hauling of final fish related crap to the basement.
Around 11:15 DS2 walks in I and I realize that X isn’t with him. X is supposed to be taking the boys because it’s an odd numbered year and he gets the boys on their birthdays on the odd numbered years. When I’d talked with X a couple of days before he said he was working on Sunday, he thought (a computer conversion weekend) but he thought he’d be getting the boys after church. He’d call if it was different (famous last words. Why do I always fall for it?)
So I called X at his work number. Oh. Yes. Well, he would be leaving the office around noon.
Interesting, since Mr. Hockey was due on my doorstep around noon and that meant that boys would be here and X would arrive with him here. I toyed with calling Mr. H and telling him to aim for later, but decided not to. Basically saying to myself, “if they’re going to meet, it might as well be now.” And then frantically second guessing how I’d be ruining DS2’s birthday by letting it happen. (Hey! I didn’t say I didn’t need more therapy. I only said I had no more insurance for the time being! I’m making a list, OK!??!?)
Around 11:30 Mr. Hockey calls me to tell me he’s on his way and to let me know he’d be closer to 12:30 than noon. Don’t worry! Take your time! X is going to be late so it’s just fine that you’ll be a little late (as I’m looking at the meatloaf in the oven and the potatoes that are in the water.)
Around 12:20 the doorbell rings. Mr. Hockey? No!! It’s my dad, unannounced, with a present for DS2! While he’s standing around making small talk and asking about the 3 pairs of jeans he left on the back step last week (mystery solved!!) up drives X!
“Come on in!” I say. My dad just stopped by to bring Tom a present. (cue awkward greetings between these two men.)
And they’re talking. And they’re talking. And I look out and see a black car pull up to the curb…sort of in front of the house and sort of in front of the neighbor’s.
“Um, hey X could you bring this step ladder over to Audubon Coffee for me? Mary wants them to put up some lights and I told them not to stand on the stools like she did and fall and break another leg. OK! Everybody out!” and I hustle them all out the door. Kiss DS1, kiss kiss kiss DS2 Happy Birthday. Thank you for taking the ladder to X. And I turn to see the person getting out of the black car and it’s A. from next door. Whew! So, a little relaxed when my dad is staying on the porch watching X and the boys leave.
And he chats and talks and I’m looking out the door and I say “Sorry! I just have a friend coming over for lunch and I’m keeping an eye out.” and then lead him into the kitchen to check on the dinner. And he chats and he talks.
About 12:40 my phone rings. It’s Mr. Hockey. He’s about 10 minutes away. Is the coast clear? “Oh!” I say. “You’re about 10 minutes away? Sure! Come on over whenever. My dad just stopped by to give Ds2 a present but they left a few minutes ago. See you when you get here!”
And after a little bit longer dad takes his leave.
Mr. Hockey pulls up about 3 minutes after dad left. I laughed when I told him he almost got to meet the whole family. Kids, X-husband and semi-estranged father! And that if it had worked out that way I figured they would have been freaking out but not me because I decided that if it was going to work out that way, now was as good a time as any.
He laughed along with me, but I kind of got the feeling that it made him a little nervous that I hadn’t been more freaked out about it.
Mr. Hockey had made a quick stop at Barnes and Noble and gotten some more of his Christmas shopping done. (he has almost all of his shopping done. what is up with that? The only other person I know who does that is PP who starts shopping the day after Christmas for the next Christmas.)
After that excitement things slowed way down and it was a delightful and restful Sunday afternoon. Restful? Well, not exactly restful. But energizing, I guess and restorative. Yes. That’s the word. And fun, in a “let’s stay home” kind of way.
I don’t think I’ve had an afternoon like that for probably 20 years! We snuggled on the couch while a movie was on the TV. We talked about a lot of things. He talked me into looking through my high-school and college yearbooks (good grief!) I heard stories from his high school days…romances and bullies and all. He heard me play my accordion (oy!)
He left around 6:45. The boys came home around 7:10. I watched them play a little Halo3 and then went to bed. And this morning, after a perfectly restful (yes, restful) night’s sleep, I had this email waiting….
On Sep 30, 2007, at 11:34 PM, xxxxxxxxx(Mr. Hockey) wrote:
I can’t wait to go to the cottage this weekend with you!
Was it raining this afternoon? I didn’t really notice the rain too much!
It’s rather lovely to go over in the edge together, isn’t it?
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A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…
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A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…
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A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…
October 2nd, 2007 at 1:10 pm
He is so sweet and thoughtful. He should totally meet your whole tribe.
October 2nd, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Dang. I was tense just reading that.