"And She's Okay!"

Not in Kuwait quite yet.

I'm in Sacramento, staying with family #2, so you could say it's the Middle Part. The last three days have been rough- the internet network has been under reconstruction since I got here. The three of us have traded off looking at each other over coffee cups, rising to go to the computer, and steering off on a tangent when it hits us we don't have access.

That last click in the lock wasn't as satisfying as I wanted it to be, namely because I had a Farewell Party at 4 across town, and I was scrubbing down the shower with one hand while washing my hair with the other at 3:15. What was strangely vindicating and satisfying was my last load of gear to the car. I'd already put on heels, a skirt, and a sweater and I was navigating the steps (care..full..y!). The little 6 year old girl across the street stopped on her scooter and just looked and looked from her driveway. I waved at her, and she said, "You look pretty."

In an eyeblink we traded places, and I knew she was seeing adulthood (and womanhood) in all the glory and beauty we slap on the canvas at six. The frame of experience and pain, which gives any woman her context, is still outside her perspective. Thankfully.

I made it to the Farewell Party, notable for the fact that we stopped midway through and realized that not one of us had every been able to sit and eat a meal together. No one was sharing their food off their plate, we could all talk at a reasonable level. We just sat and looked at each other for a minute when I brought it up.

Then there was the key drop off, and the long ride to Sacramento, and bed. There's supposed to be another Farewell Party tonight, but probably not as rowdy as the one we had last night. We ended up at the Cornerstone Cafe this morning, looking like poster children for the Detox Tank at Santa Rita.

I'd write more, but Blogger is going offline in a few minutes. I'll catch up this evening.