A Special Visit-II

I called George to say they had just left and how empty the house felt and he said how nice it would have been if he could have seen L and the kids. We had just hung up when all of a sudden the doorbell rang. We live at the end of a private road, so it’s unusual for that to happen. I cautiously made my way to the door and there was SB peeping through the stained glass smiling at me. “We made it to the second exit and then decided that we just couldn’t leave yet. Can we come back and stay until tomorrow?” Amid much laughter and the complete confusion of J&E, we unpacked again and this time included the travel bed, suitcases and toys!

SB took J and they made a hurried trip to the store for some ‘must-have’ supplies and treats for J&E. We had a ball – our house was jumping like it never does. J is a Spiderman devotee currently and so he was Spiderman the entire time he was here and insisted on dressing the part, even in the summer heat!

E modeled her new bikini for us while having a hot dog for lunch.

Little E and Mom

I played baseball out front with J while E crawled in the grass playing ball. I tired from playing ball and assured J that George would play with him when he got home. J immediately went through his badges to choose a special one to present to George when he arrived and shyly asked me “Is George a big boy? When George arrived home he welcomed L with a big hug and marveled at the kids, then headed upstairs to change. J waited outside the bedroom door asking “Are you ready yet George…are you ready yet?” When he emerged after changing, J presented him with his badge which he promptly pinned on his shirt and outside they went to play in the waning sun.

When J&E were all tired out from play, we fed them dinner and then L scooted them up to the bathtub, back down to say goodnight and then off to bed. We again had drinks on the deck and then George grilled some salmon while we made fresh corn on the cob and a big salad – hmmm hmmm good. We refilled our wine glasses and settled in to share the same tired old memories we share everytime we get together. The old escapades the kids were involved in all those years ago were relived – and L shared a few new ones that SB and I weren’t aware of! Our conversation was punctuated with many outbursts of laughter and I loved the warm happiness of sharing with old friends. Later in the evening, L and our C talked on the phone for a very long time, with L moving back out onto the deck so they could talk in private and catch up on their lives…still the best of friends. When L returned from the call she told me that if she could raise J to be as good a person as C, she would be happy and that she had shared that with C. I was so happy they were at least able to visit by phone. Friendship intact!

Too soon the morning came and in a flurry of diaper changing, folding beds, repacking suitcases, hurried cups of coffee and millions of hugs, they were off and gone. The house….so quiet. As I poured myself another cup of coffee in the din of silence, I turned to see that George had put his badge on the fridge…and there it has stayed.

I received a note from L today and she thanked us for our hospitality and added “I wish we lived closer together so that we could see each other more often”.

Me too.