"Those dates aren't good for us," wrote back my cousin "D" when I assumed we'd be staying with him and his wife while visiting Ottawa -- just as we did a couple of months ago. What??!! He is like my brother, we were raised together, and now that we live so far away I take it for granted that we will always be welcome. Guess not.
But it was his wife who made that decision. He would never, ever tell me I couldn't stay with him just as I would never ever tell him he couldn't stay with me in Calgary. Never. Just would not happen. Maybe I flubbed part of the 16-page manual his wife "C" left last time, instructing me on everything from how to flush a toilet to how to feed a cat. Probably committed a major transgression along the way...oh yeah, think I bought the wrong laundry detergent, oops! But hey, I even did her ironing for G-d's sake. Nevermind, we managed.
The side trip to Ottawa from Toronto with son, daughter and grandson was action-packed. On the way, we visited their father who went all out, taking us to a lovely restaurant for lunch, showering us with presents and generally trying to make up for many years of, well, neglect. We all got along famously, he still has his quirky sense of humour, and met his grandson for the first time. Half the time he introduced me to people as his "wife", the other half as his "ex-wife". We kept laughing about it.
Flew back this morning on WestJet and realized that Calgary is really feeling like home. What do I miss about back east? The magnificent trees....but not the humidity. Arriving back, I noted that B had faithfully watered my plants and kept the house clean and tidy. He even had a dozen red roses and a card waiting, it having been our anniversary while I was away.
More trip tales later.............
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