Wednesday, September 8, 2010

And Then There Were Two

I was going to entitle this post “The Empty Nest” … but Jonathan still graces me with his company :-)

Nick left last night at 10:45 to move to the UK for two years. A very hectic last few weeks, including a trip to Winnipeg to visit his grandparents and extended family. So much to arrange … so much to acquire … so much to discard …

And of course, the loss of the day to day company of my first born. This is what I did to my mother on 25 June 1979 when I moved from Winnipeg to Ottawa, permanently as it turned out. She was crushed.

I’m going to miss Nick’s company, but I am not crushed. He has chosen to follow a path that will take him abroad for a while … he may or may not choose to come back to Canada … c’est la vie. I raised them to choose and he chose. It’s a great thing …

Of course, I managed to forget to bring a camera. We were walking out with 100 pounds of luggage in 4 pieces and we were a tad rushed in order to grab one last bowl of Laksa at the Singapore Restaurant before heading to the airport. It was the biggest storm of the year, lightning flashing everywhere … and I had a brain fart.

Luckily, the iPhone is not entirely horrid …

So we arrive at the airport and drop the baggage off. Nick’s big suitcase is 22.9 kilos … 0.9 over weight. The girl looks the other way. Awesome! And then I have to pull out my wallet so he can take the guitar in checked baggage … because you only get one free bag now. The price was not low either … *sigh* …

Next stop is the exchange … he needs to change $160 cad into pounds.

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Unfortunately, the exchange rate sucks and he gets only 90 pounds. Airports …

We then wander and I watch the luggage as the boys hit the washroom … I notice Nick’s plane just sitting there …

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Nyuk nyuk nyuk …

The boys get back and Nick is pretty pensive by now … we are an hour or so away from the buggest change of his life so far.

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I ask the boys for a portrait as we do every time Nick leaves … this one turns out ok …

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I then ask for another one for insurance against blur and the result is quite predictable …

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Not too bad for an iPhone indoors …

Anyway … we head outside for one more smoke before he goes through security … then it is hugs all around and my nest is half empty …

Nick texted me at 5:30am to say he landed.

I texted him at 8:12 to ask if he had made the 1:10 train and he told me everything went so smoothly that he grabbed the 12:35. That was excellent as he could then get to his estate agent to collect the keys to their rental.

He texted me one more time when he arrived at the house … he went out to get some oven pizza but had no plates … tomorrow he will have to head out to buy some rather important accessories like dishes etc …

5 comments:

Unknown said...

It may feel a little empty now but you will soon start to enjoy it. Hopefully when you are fully enjoying it they don't come home to roost!! :-D I had a couple years of peace... then poof! Enjoy it while you can

Buck

Unknown said...

Pretty cool slice of life story.

Nice when things go so smoothly you can catch an earlier train. Woo hoo! I got satisfaction from buying my own kitchen stuff, heck, even the bathroom stuff.

The day before I left home my dad was on the floor nursing a bad back. He looked up through his glasses and said "You should know a couple of things. You're going to need to tighten your belt and make some sacrifices. And there will be people who pre-judge you."

LOL

As I deplaned and walked down the jetway in a new airport and a new state to go to a school I'd never set foot on, I noticed the workers all looked and acted differently than in the SF Bay Area. And the business travelers looked different: from haircuts to suits to shoes. I felt untethered but confident. I caught the shuttle, met some Californians, met a dorm mate, bought a couple six-packs, hit a bar, met more people, and it was on.

That was better than my youngest brother the day before he left. He asked to take (keep) my dad's car as he moved to Los Angeles for law school. My dad said "Do you want the answer now?"

That glacier didn't melt for two years. : O

Kim Letkeman said...

Yeah, I left cold turkey in 1979 ... got on a jet in Winnipeg and off in Ottawa. My new work mates were all young and we hit the bars on Fridays and I eventually made some good friends.

Sorry to hear about the glacier ... it's amazing how things like that go. Most families seem to have their oil and water pairs ... mine does too. I guess it's a microcosm of the internet, which some thing of as real life LOL

The Naturalist said...

The guy flipping you off is trying to tell you something Kim.

Kim Letkeman said...

John, forgot to thank you for the kind words. I agree that a return engagement might be a bit trying, but I'd give it a shot.