Homesick, at last

So, it’s been a tumultuous couple of weeks, having begun to experience my first bout of homesickness- well (no offense to all the grownups in my life) mostly sickness from missing nieces and nephews and regretting that I won’t meet Kathy and Dave’s baby OR little baby Willis-McInnis until December. By that time, they’ll be practically be walking and talking. Or so it feels. More than missing out on snuggles with wormy little bundles, I am sad about missing the time with my sisters. With all five of their kids, it’s always been a really special bonding time to spend with them, just hanging out and visiting with nothing at all to do, except chat, snack and hold babies. Last week was especially hard for me and I had to temporarily remove all evidence of little kids from my room/wallet because photos sent me into weeping fits and it wasn’t pretty.
I got an email from Susan telling me that Sophia requested a seventh spot be allowed for Doodoo (the endearing nickname she uses to refer to me) at her 6-guest maximum party- for her 6th birthday. Being hypersensitive to anything niece/nephew-related, I teared up in the teacher’s computer lounge on campus and was absolutely mortified. . . THANK GOD no one saw! Como se dice “emotional wreck of a gringa”? Although I couldn’t stand to look at pictures, I somehow thought I could handle a phone call with them. . . handle, yes. But without crying my eyes out? Umm, NO. I called Susan’s kids first but Sophia was already in bed, so my little Benny-bop (Daniel) chatted with me for a few. He sounded SOOOO grown up, which made me REALLY SUPER DUPER sad. They change so fast in a really short amount of time, so I was imagining all the good stuff I’d missed out on and would miss out on. When he sang me “I’ve been workin’ on the railroad” I absolutely lost it and I think my roommate was worried that someone died back home. I don’t know how to explain in Spanish that I’m a COMPLETE sucker when it comes to these kids, so I just buried my face and hoped he wasn’t watching me. Pitiful, pitiful. After that I couldn’t bear to call Ethan and Fiona since the last time I talked to them I was traumatized by how grown up they both sounded. It was fun to talk to them and always amusing when Ethan insists on story after story. I do miss the request, “carol, can you tell me a story?”. . . “umm, Carol, can you tell me another story?” and another and another and another. I’d go broke on calling cards if I told as many as I used to in Seattle, when I had 1500 minutes/month. I’m feeling stronger now, so I’ll be calling to tell some cuties a story or two this weekend.
It’s been raining the last few days and somehow I think it’s actually made me feel better. I get all blue and reclusive in Seattle, but here it hasn’t bothered me. I must be a true Seattleite now, if I’m admitting that a little rain washed away my blues. DAMN! It was really coming down, like the fall of 06. I remember getting SOAKED every day, being soaked in my classes, because some asswipe (or many) would drive through a puddle really fast, not giving a shit about me or other pedestrians. Well, with such experience as a pedestrian and living in a rainy city, I know to look ahead, and when cars come racing toward me, I tend to back off away from the curb, anticipating a splashing. Well, last night I observed some not-so-bright folks at the bus stop. I was standing and three people were sitting on the bench. The first time a car zoomed by, we all got a little splash, but not much. HOWEVER, I did take note that there was a deep puddle right in front of the stop- which hadn’t been so noticeable before, in the dark. So, when a second car came zooming towards us, I stepped away a few feet and behind a sign. EVERYONE on the bench just sat there and had the crap splashed out of them. They all cursed the driver and seemed a little dumbfounded. Well, a few minutes went by and a third car came zooming by. Do you think they thought to stand up and move, or hold their umbrellas up as shields? NO. Do you think they learned anything by the FOURTH time it happened? NO. I was curious to see if they’d sit through splashes (and I mean SPLASHES, no delicate sprinkles) a fifth time, but the damn bus came. I was thoroughly amused. I know it’s terrible to say, but for hell’s sake, the dogs here are smart enough to look both ways before crossing the street, so how couldn’t they have figured out a solution?? Either way, it made the wait more enjoyable. I shouldn’t derive too much entertainment from it, because the road side splashing karma will get me when I’m back in Seattle.