Missing Joe

Joe's birthday was yesterday. As is my custom, I sent him flowers to his office. He just loves cut flowers. Only instead of having the flowers delivered on Wednesday, I had them delivered on Tuesday because he decided to take off work Wednesday, today and tomorrow.

Joe's sister Mary and her husband and kids are at the beach in the Outer Banks. His mother and brother Paul and his family are at the beach in Wildwood. Joe really wanted to go to the beach too, but I was unable to take off work this week. I'm just too busy right now.

So Joe decided to drive up to our beach house Tuesday night and then take the ferry Wednesday morning to join his mom and brother (etc) in Wildwood, their childhood vacation destination.

Tuesday night was my first night alone. For a minute or two, I was kind of looking forward to it. No competition for the TV remote. I wouldn't be subjected to the mind-numbing blabbering of those home shopping hostesses who can drone on for hours about a stupid kitchen gadget. I don't know how they do it. Instead I could watch all the decorating and remodeling and renovating and home buying/selling shows I could find! The prospect was more than a little exciting!

But the gods must have been against me for some unknown reason. There wasn't a d@mn thing to watch on TV. Normally there'd be several decorating shows I'd want to watch on the same night. But that night it seemed like everything was either pre-empted or a repeat.

Wednesday night was the same. I flipped and flipped until I finally wound up watching the parts of "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton" that I'd missed some other time I was bored and nothing good was on TV. Not being distracted by fabulous renovations or careful color considerations, I kept thinking about my Joe.

I was sure he was having a good time. He's close to his mother, and his brother and family are very nice and fun folks. I knew they'd spend the day at the beach or the pool, eat delicious and inexpensive food on the boardwalk, and watch the kids play boardwalk games until close to midnight. Eventhough I couldn't go with him, I was glad he would be with his family, having fun on his birthday.

This evening I called him on his cell when I got home from work. I was surprised to hear that he was on the ferry, returning to our beach house. He said it was fun to be there yesterday and today, but that he was ready to say goodbye to his family and head back. They were leaving tomorrow anyway, so he just left the night before them. He's staying at the beach house tonight and will drive home tomorrow, in the daylight. He doesn't like to drive in the dark if he can help it.

So, although I am missing Joe right now, I am excited that he'll be returning home tomorrow. His latest purchase from the home shopping channel arrived today, so he will have a 'gift' waiting for him when he gets home tomorrow.