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Giving Thanks Two days ago, I packed my wife and daughter into the car and watched them drive off to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. I’m stuck here for reasons that have everything to with my inability to say, “No,” when I should. So on Tuesday morning, I watched the silver Saturn disappear down the street en route to the Great White North. I will never see them again. No, I am not getting divorced, the victim of one too many “The Married Life” columns or one too few pennies made as a “modestly successful” freelance writer. No, I do not fear them veering off the highway in the dead of night or getting obliterated by an out-of-control 18-wheeler. No, I am not worried about me burning myself to death in an effort to cook Thanksgiving dinner without proper supervision. All of these things are legitimate fears, but none of them is what concerns me. Rather I am certain I will never see my wife and child again, because I know beyond any doubt they are going to kill each other. Despite saying she was, the kid was not packed and ready to go, when it was time to leave. Jennifer, a poor traveler under the best of circumstances, freaked out and ran around trying to get Onna ready to go. Which caused her to not get herself ready to go. Which caused her to freak out even more. The kid, meanwhile, rolled her eyes and got irritated. So she started picking fights and yelling. Which made her mother angry. Which made Onna angrier. Which got both of them at each other’s throats. Which gave me a huge headache less than 10 minutes after I woke up. I’m going to miss them. It’s kind of lonely around here without the wife complaining about work and seeking compliments for her cooking. It’s too quiet without the kid chasing the dog around and getting yelled at for not doing her chores. It’s hard cooking for just one (although there’s always leftovers for lunch the next day, which is nice). But then they call and I have to hear about what one of them has done to the other this time, and I think, “You know, it’s kind of peaceful around here. I’ve been getting lots of work done.” And so this Thanksgiving I have a lot to be thankful for. I’m thankful for Jennifer, who had lots of advice and information on how to cook the turkey breast I bought and who genuinely misses my company. I’m thankful for Onna, who constantly reminds me how important it is to be imaginative and who gives me lots of hugs and makes me feel important. Mostly, though, I’m thankful for the quiet. I don’t want it to last forever, but I’m not quite ready to give it up yet. |
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