Michael had decided he wanted to leave on Friday instead of Sunday because he was feeling homesick. But he had a great time and really loved Seattle. On Thursday night, we were laying in bed and he was excitedly talking about things he loved about Seattle. He loved that the clouds were beautiful and that you could walk everywhere. He loved that we’re close to the water and can see it from the balcony. He loved that my building has a swimming pool and gym. Mostly, he loved the sounds.
“Do you hear that, Julia? That’s a plane! That’s the 3rd plane I’ve heard already. It’s marvelous!” he said (incidentally, I’ve never heard him use the word “marvelous”). “You can hear everything. Planes. Trains. Cars…”
“You can hear boats, too…”
“Boats, too?! You really can hear everything!”
Michael was so excited (he asked me to wake him up if I heard any trains, planes or boats). I was excited, too, because I had no idea Michael shared my love for night sounds. I love night sounds (wind, rain, crickets, etc), but I also like distant sounds of travel. As a child, I always slept with my window open and could hear distant trucks and train whistles in the middle of the night. I like that in the deepest of night, you are alone, but these sounds remind you that you are also not alone.
I was sad to drop Michael off at the airport. We had a little tiff. People in our family are terrible with goodbyes. But I called my mom that night to make sure Michael was okay, and she said when they picked him up, he looked great –really happy–and he’d been telling them all about how great Seattle is, and how I had set up a wonderful home here.
Temporary home. One year to write my book, secure my secondary home, reveal my guy and bring him home.