Benjamin and Daniel came back early this morning, waking up the whole house thanks to their earlier vagueness on when the flight was actually coming in, when they were planning to leave and what the fuck taxi company they would take to get home since they couldn't give PJ a definitive answer. He would have picked them up, though probably not at four this morning. They were home by six, and I was so happy to be woken up early on my only day to sleep in it's ironic.
Schuyler suddenly had blinders on, giving Ben a warm punch-hug, closed fists against each other's backs before moving to Daniel to envelope him in the sweetest, longest hug I've ever been fortunate to witness. Tears even, from everyone as they are rarely apart and hardly ever for this long.
They head off with promises to return to head out for our big welcome home dinner tonight, already booked at a little Japanese restaurant that's happy to give us an entire room on a week's notice and we stop to marvel at Ben's presence in this house, a space he fills that was so sorely lacking all week. At the end of the day Ben is a constant now, a six-foot-four security blanket, a wall that we can close in or lean on or protect ourselves with.
He and Loch had an equally long hug which was beautiful to see. They were speaking softly in each other's ears and I couldn't hear the words. Then he came for me, finally. From largest to smallest, I guess and I was off the ground in his arms, still half-asleep and in dreams but half-awake and...still in dreams.
The airplane fuel smell hit me like a wall, catch in my throat, tears triggered again.
Going to make that the last trip this year. Embargo for 2020, Ben says to me. He puts me down and presents his little finger to my face. Pinky-swear, he says solemnly.
It's February. You can't say that yet.
Oh, I can and I am. Pinky-swear me, Bee. Come on. Don't leave me hanging.
Schuyler suddenly had blinders on, giving Ben a warm punch-hug, closed fists against each other's backs before moving to Daniel to envelope him in the sweetest, longest hug I've ever been fortunate to witness. Tears even, from everyone as they are rarely apart and hardly ever for this long.
They head off with promises to return to head out for our big welcome home dinner tonight, already booked at a little Japanese restaurant that's happy to give us an entire room on a week's notice and we stop to marvel at Ben's presence in this house, a space he fills that was so sorely lacking all week. At the end of the day Ben is a constant now, a six-foot-four security blanket, a wall that we can close in or lean on or protect ourselves with.
He and Loch had an equally long hug which was beautiful to see. They were speaking softly in each other's ears and I couldn't hear the words. Then he came for me, finally. From largest to smallest, I guess and I was off the ground in his arms, still half-asleep and in dreams but half-awake and...still in dreams.
The airplane fuel smell hit me like a wall, catch in my throat, tears triggered again.
Going to make that the last trip this year. Embargo for 2020, Ben says to me. He puts me down and presents his little finger to my face. Pinky-swear, he says solemnly.
It's February. You can't say that yet.
Oh, I can and I am. Pinky-swear me, Bee. Come on. Don't leave me hanging.