2 years

2 years ago today, Dawn and Storm and Faith came home. To stay. William and I went to get them from the airport in the late, humid afternoon. Storm and Faith ran all the way down the terminal. Storm tackled me and Faith tackled her twin. Dawn, weighed down with 2 kids worth of entertainment for an international flight, including 2 carseats, took an eternity to get to me. But when she did, she dropped everything. I'd be lying if I said that she grabbed me first. She, of course, scooped up William and tickled him and turned him upside down and covered him with kisses. Then she grabbed me and enveloped me in a hug remarkably tight for someone who should have been in muscle failure. She picked me up and twirled me around. She looked deep in my eyes while squeezing my face and said, "Take me home."

I confessed this about it just a few days later.

I did once call you my partner.
Strangely enough, I was
Responding to the USO booth lady's
Question,
"Who are you waiting for?"

Seizing my chance though
With great trepidation,
"My partner and my other children."

She politely answered,
"Awww . . . that's nice."
(Though I'm sure she didn't think so.)

I slank (Is that the past tense of
Slink? And if one
Reflects on slinking and so
Requires the past tense, isn't it
Probable that the very act of
Slinking was something else
Entirely?)

Away
As anyone does at the end of
Polite time-passing with
Strangers.

I didn't get to see her see us.


.