After spending the majority of the day at W’s parents, we finally resolved one of those crazy situations that only ever happens in our houseOur eldest daughter’s birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and my parents sent her a couple of presents in advanceone of which we later discovered W’s brother had also bought her. As is usual around here, rather than tell him in advance, W didn’t/wouldn’t, and then it fell on me to not give her one of her presents.
Then of coursebecause our life is crazywe didn’t see W’s family until todaytwo weeks later. So she finally has the mystery present, and I can finally let her ring my parents without them accidentally mentioning the present she never got.
Like I said you can’t make this stuff up. I’m annoyed because it looks like we didn’t call to say thank you to my parents for the things they sent (and this didn’t occur to anybody else), and I’m also pretty cheesed off that yet again its me that has to do the round of apologies rather than anybody else ever deal with anything.
Anyway. Huge sidetrack thereWe finally arrived home at 7ish, ate dinner, and then I threw myself straight into a couple of hours of web design work for a freelance client. After a while I went to make a cup of tea, and then rememberedno milk, and no tea Damn.
Fifteen minutes later, after checking what time the grocery store in town would be open until, I set out on foot. I can’t recall ever walking into town on a Saturday night that late before, and it was very, very strange.
Until I reached the high street, I didn’t see a single soul. The walk into town through the back streets is about a mile. Not a single soul. No cars, no people. Finally I arrived in the high street, and instantly felt like some kind of charity case.
Amid the throngs of pretty people, dressed up for a night out, stood in the street outside bars enjoying perhaps the last warm saturday night of the year, comes mein shorts, sandals, and a fleece.
As I walked home from the grocery store, I couldn’t help feeling a little jealous. I remember those evenings in years gone by. I remember warm evenings with friends, wandering from bar to bar. I remember talking and dancing into the early hours, before wandering the back streets home leaning on each other, and holding hands.
And then something occurred to me. I go home to three little girls who cheer when I get home from work, who smile like a coat hanger when I pick them up, and who choose spending time with me or W over anybody else in the world.
Why on earth would I choose a night out over them ?