One of the benefits of living with two women is that there’s no shortage of answers to the question, “What bothers you the most about Mark?”
If anyone ever asks that question, I will definitely be ready with an answer!
The rumor at the family dinner table is that the current episode of “Pandemic Living,” the sitcom about my current life, is going to get a re-write. In two-weeks, Guy’s youngest son Chris is moving out.
Here since March when life in New York City became problematic due to the Covid outbreak, Chris is ready for life outside the womb. At least that’s my guess, since it seems unlikely he’s leaving because his mother cleans his room too much, makes his bed too often or makes him dinner on too many nights!
But Chris was an independent adult who moved in out of genuine necessity and he probably never planned on being here this long.
A former member of the Wilton High School debating team (GO Warriors!), Chris comes to dinner each night ready to (verbally) rumble! A big change from dinnertime five months ago before Chris moved; which was just Guy and I sitting on the couch eating pizza complaining about how tired we were! I’m happy for him though. I can’t imagine that being 26 and stuck in a house with your mother and her boyfriend is all that entertaining and so I am happy for him that he’s getting out. But I'll miss the mealtime debates.
Not quite bereaved but definitely sorrowful, Guy would rather he stayed.
Probably forever!
Mothers, being attached to their babies as they are, Guy just forgave Chris for breaking her heart eight years ago when “Cutie” moved out to go to college! But despite his mother’s apprehensions, on September 1 Chris moves out of our house in Stamford and into his new place, about an hour east on the Connecticut shoreline!
And that means that on September 1, I get my fiancée (and my office) back!
One down, one to go!
I was so inspired by Guy’s caring for her son’s needs while he was stuck here in Stamford, that when Buck Wheat, my 22-year old daughter, left on Friday for a weekend with her cousins I decided to change her sheets and clean up her room a bit.
My desire to do that lasted right up to the moment I walked into her room! It was at that point which I determined that Guy is a better parent than I am!
I can’t say I remember when I stopped making Buck’s bed daily and changing her sheets for her?
But I’m pretty sure it started on a day when her room looked like this!
Like Chris, Buck is also getting ready to fly to coop. Not ever planning to move home after graduation, she’s been speaking about her departure date since before she even arrived! But at some point soon, Buck will be out and on her way to Austin, Texas.
Or Great Barrington, Massachusetts. You'll know when I do!
Despite having spoken about her plans for dozens of hours on the patio, I can’t say that I know exactly what Buck’s plans are! We speak about it every night, but the conversation is always different!
But I know she’s ready for her life as an independent adult to start and in her view, that can’t happen at home. She tells me she’s moving out sometime between August 29th and September 15th, but with Buck it’s best not to listen too closely to the details.
Her nickname should be Whiplash!
Here’s what I know at the moment: On some date between August 29th and September 15th, THE Buck hits the road. She is either moving alone or with a group of friends, the size of which can vary by the day. She’s determined she's moving either north, south or west which is a decision I support since east from Stamford gets wet fast. Guy has asked me countless times “Where is she going?” and “Who is she going with?” Puzzled by the lack of planning, Guy has often said “She can’t REALLY be leaving, she doesn’t have any plan!”
Buck eschews plans!
I spent the weekend getting some much needed relaxation after a hectic week. In a rare move which speaks to just how hectic last week was….I put my phone down for the day on Saturday. We pulled the top off the Jeep and drove to Rhinebeck, NY to visit my sister at her summer squat!
Why so hectic?
Lexington, the e-commerce solution for independent retailers “went live” on Monday and response has been robust. The more I go through the presentation with dealers, the happier I am with and the prouder I am of, the product we created. Go here and put your name into the contact form and I’ll be in touch to tell you all about it.
Or better yet, click the link and tell the bot in the lower right you want to skip the line! It will present my calendar and all you'll have to do is pick a time which suits you.
I’m looking forward to telling you all about it.
