Latchkey Wife

I know that I’m being silly. My sister-in-law has to be away from my brother who is in Iraq for a year. My sister has to be away from her husband for days at a time when he travels for business. I only have to endure Chris working pretty late a few nights a week. I’m not like some of the women at work who commented today about the convenience of their husbands being away from home and how much they can accomplish when they’re not around. I do work more efficiently around the house when Chris is not here. That can be nice on a Saturday or for a couple hours in the afternoon, but I suppose it’s just that I hate going to bed without him here. Even if we’re busily working on other projects in opposite sides of the apartment, it’s nice to feel his presence near by.

On our little trip to my old stomping grounds this past weekend, we were able to enjoy some time together. We drove to Chattanooga to visit with my college friends. On Friday night there was a little party, and we stayed up late with our hosts, my wonderful friends Steve and Lesley, and a few others reminiscing about the old days. It was so much fun sitting around the dining room table and perusing old yearbooks while we recounted our stories of crazy times and ridiculous relationships. I know that it wasn’t as much fun for Chris as it was for me, but I think that he was able to see a little different side of me. The next morning we went up to Covenant College to wander around campus and purchase some new apparel. We spent most of the time at the overlook gazing at the valley and the mountains beyond and enjoying rare moments of peace. It wasn’t glamorous or super exciting, but it’s moments like that I cherish the most. The crazy thing about the trip is that we both were really sick, me from a monster migraine and him from a serious cold, and yet we were still able to really enjoy time with our friends and each other.

So… what do I do now? I could walk on the treadmill, clean, work on my painting, or find something else productive to do. I brought grading home, but I stayed late at work today grading, and my brain is a bit mushy. I have the washer, dryer, and dish washer going. However, I’ve already had a highly productive day, and I’m very tired. I’m actually doing well to sit here working on this. Maybe I’ll just read a book, flip through a People magazine, or just watch a little TV while I wait for Chris to return. I miss him.