Chris has been in DC for a business trip. Today is day 13 of 15. Two weeks is a long time for us. It's an eternity for the boys.
For the first several days, the boys didn't seem to notice he wasn't here. Given that he's at work all day during the week and sometimes works late (such as when he's teaching or in the lead-up to this trip) or otherwise doesn't come home until late (weekly bagpipe practice), there are days when they don't see him until bedtime or the next morning. But usually he is around.
On day 5, the boys and I left for a mini-vacation of our own, visiting my parents. There was enough out of the usual, and enough going on, that it wasn't until several days into the visit that Wil suddenly noticed Daddy wasn't there too.
And then the tiny moments of heartbreak began.
"Daddy's missing all the fun."
"Is Daddy coming home today?"
"I miss Daddy." (Followed by him bursting into tears.)
And last night's gem, the one that almost made me cry: "Sam says Daddy is finding a new home."
Sam misses Daddy too. And I'm sure his taunt is partly due to fear that Daddy will never get home (2 weeks is a long time!) mixed with being mean to his brother. But that sure hurt.
I got out the calendar and counted the last few days: "Today is Friday. Tomorrow is Saturday. The next day is Sunday. Daddy will be home Monday." 3 more sleeps (that's how they keep track of days). I told them they could stay up Monday until Chris gets home (it'll probably be around bedtime).
Then I called Chris and let him count the days with them. By bedtime, they seemed to understand, although they asked again this morning if Daddy was coming home today. Only 2 more sleeps.
Awww, what a heart ripper. I hope he's back, safe and sound, and that everything is back to normal.
ReplyDelete