New Year’s Day 2011

[Phil is driving half way across the country headed home.  We talked for nearly two hours earlier, but I thought I had one more thing to say.  I am lying on my bed talking with him.]

7:30 pm Call

Philip called me back at 7:30 pm.  I was flustered because I had not expected it so soon.  I dashed to my bedroom so I could be sure Hubby would not overhear.  I wanted to say I love you.  He asked what was up, and I said, “Never mind, I lost my nerve.”  I realized I really need to be with him, see his face when I say it.  Ugh.  Who knows when that will be?!  

He let it go immediately and started telling me about about how cold it was.  He had stopped to get gas and it was 9 degrees!  I asked if it was windy or just cold.  He said windy, too.  I asked how much he paid for gas, and he said ‘$3.09” but that wasn’t bad compared to the $3.31 he’d shelled out earlier in the day at a rest stop somewhere in OH.  Even at that, it cost him $42 to gas up his little car.  Thank goodness it doesn’t take much gas.  I marveled at how it didn’t matter what he was talking about… even gas prices… I adore listening to him!  

He talked about how the coffee would taste awfully good when he got to work in weather that cold.  I asked if he would have to make his own coffee and he said he didn’t know.  He talked about work for a bit, trying to explain it to me, telling me about the people he had met so far and the first challenges he forsees.  I adore it when he does that.  But pretty soon I could tell the weight of it was starting to creep in, so I changed the subject, asking where he was.

He said he was within an hour of home.  We talked about different cities that are fun to visit – he said he liked New York, Boston is good, Chicago, not L.A. but San Francisco was nice.  We talked about the buildings that make the skyline like the Transamerica, the Sears Tower or our Hancock Tower.  I said they light up a big #1 down the side of it when our sports teams are doing well.   He said he hoped it would be not be lit for the Patriots anytime soon.  I said I knew he would say that.  He said he tried to hold it back but just couldn’t.  We had a good chuckle.  

I asked if he was all set up to watch football tomorrow.  He said no, that the direct TV guy had blown him off and he called to reschedule but they didn’t get back to him.  He’d hassle them tomorrow, get some free stuff out of it.  He was going to watch at the bar nearby.

(The doorbell rang, and I signed the credit card slip and took in our pizza dinner without giving away what I was doing, then went back in the bedroom to talk more)

We talked more about football, then he said he’d better go, he was getting close to home and he would have to “inform the boss” of his impending arrival.  He warned me that he would have little time alone from here on, between his wife and his military responsibilities which would put him with other people most of the time. and that he’d be working a lot.  It felt like good-bye.

I said sure, take care of yourself, Philip, and got a little choked up (wondering when I’d hear his voice again) and he caught it, lowering his voice and saying very sweetly, “Bye Sass.”  

He hung up at 8 pm.