Retail Therapy

    Starting to get that flying carpet that'll never land again feeling. Today is our last full day here.   

    Our older son left yesterday afternoon and my husband and I literally fell apart after he drove away.

    We retreated to our hotel room in shock -- and sadness. He was as bad as me, and that doesn't happen very often. In fact, that may be the first time it's happened since this whole adventure started. He's always the strong one.     

    You just get so used to having them around again, he said. Ohmigod, yes. And then they're gone again. Yes, yes.  

    We never felt like this before when he went back to his college town. But now it's different. Because we're so far. Because it's a big production involving trans-Atlantic flights to see them.

     We lay on the bed together hugging. It actually physically hurts, he said. Yes, yes, yes.

     We are now officially on the same page. At least briefly. 

     My younger son's girlfriend called and asked if I wanted to go shopping with her. We had mentioned that we wanted to look for a new bathing suit together, two girls out shopping. I had been looking forward to it. But now, I just felt destroyed.

     She came and picked me up.

     I told her I was feeling a bit fragile since my older son had left. She listened and then turned to me and asked, "Why did you move to England anyway? It's so far."

     I looked at her, I'm sure grimacing. I wasn't sure what to say. No reason I could give her could possibly make any sense. So I didn't say anything right away.

     "I know a great bathing suit store downtown," she said, quickly changing the subject.

     "Sounds good, honey. Let's go there," I replied. 

     No wonder people shop 'till they drop here.