Saying goodbye, that too to V, is the worst thing, Mi. Gosh, the vacuum he leaves behind is so painful. I keep expecting to see his smiling face all the time. We miss the hugs and cuddles, the conversations. Sure we have the technology and can talk to him whenever we want, but you know – presence – makes such a difference.
Sadly, the week before he was due to leave, we all fell sick with the flu. And his recovery took longer. So we had to postpone his ticket by a week, and well, we were happy to get another week with him. He’s gone back and seems to be settling down.
Apparently, that cough, which takes so long to subside here got triggered again by his dusty room. I really wish we could have arranged to have it cleaned up but did not know how. Anyway, he has begun the process of doing it. I don’t think he has rested enough, what with running around to do stuff. Let’s wish him a great year ahead, though, right?
I am so grateful we can talk to him, just like that. Remember those days when even local calls were cumbersome to make? Until we got our own phone connection at my ripe old age of 32, we had to leg it to the nearest public booth to contact someone. And then, hope they were available to take the call. With no call-back facility.
I giggle when I think of calling Uma at the grocery store near her house – and how the shopkeeper would get super-annoyed because I wasn’t the only one calling my friend. The shop’s phone was a lifeline for the whole locality. Those were the days! And what about the interstate and international calls? Even during my college days, we had to actually book and wait for the call to go through – bad connections always prevailed.
We really have come a long way. I wish you were around to do the video calls with V. We often imagine how you would never want to let go and want to keep on talking. We feel the same way! Funny thing is, he is not the chatty type. So it is more like sending telegrams. Also, he is not attached to “things” which is kind of a relief. Who would have thought I, of all people, would have a minimalist son? Hehehe.
Time for some coffee now, don’t you think? ♥
