Didi found her husband engaged in his primary retirement hobby: brooding.
"John, what's wrong?"
"I wanted Jamie to come home for Sunday dinner, but it's not happening." A pause. "I don't want to hear anything about irony, Didi."
Didi said nothing. She didn't know a thing about irony. She did know a few things about her son, though. "Jamie has a home with Sandy and the twins to think of, John. And they're sick right now, you know. How would he face her if he left her home alone with two sick kids, not just for the workday but on the weekend?"
In the ensuing silence, she remembered when Jamie'd had chicken pox. With bedrest necessary, he'd asked for additional bedtime stories, on top of the nursery rhymes and once-upon-a-times. His favorite was their own little joint-storytelling series: What Do You Suppose Dad's Doing Now?'
She'd encouraged all Jamie's thoughts about how Terribly Important his father's work was. And it was. Serious business. Kept food on the table and clothes on their backs -- nice clothes. Nicer than necessary, really. Nice like their beautiful dining set that had rarely had to seat more than two. That was still the case.
Finally, John took a deep breath, like he was facing a steep climb. "Think I should try again when the twins are better?"
Re: Cat's in the Cradle - Yusuf Islam
"John, what's wrong?"
"I wanted Jamie to come home for Sunday dinner, but it's not happening." A pause. "I don't want to hear anything about irony, Didi."
Didi said nothing. She didn't know a thing about irony. She did know a few things about her son, though. "Jamie has a home with Sandy and the twins to think of, John. And they're sick right now, you know. How would he face her if he left her home alone with two sick kids, not just for the workday but on the weekend?"
In the ensuing silence, she remembered when Jamie'd had chicken pox. With bedrest necessary, he'd asked for additional bedtime stories, on top of the nursery rhymes and once-upon-a-times. His favorite was their own little joint-storytelling series: What Do You Suppose Dad's Doing Now?'
She'd encouraged all Jamie's thoughts about how Terribly Important his father's work was. And it was. Serious business. Kept food on the table and clothes on their backs -- nice clothes. Nicer than necessary, really. Nice like their beautiful dining set that had rarely had to seat more than two. That was still the case.
Finally, John took a deep breath, like he was facing a steep climb. "Think I should try again when the twins are better?"
"Yes. I think we should."