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This was a sad day. On Wednesday, Lydia lost her girls, Kiera and Kaylei, to their father and stepmom. They live in Phoneix, Arizonia. I could go into the legal stuff and what I think of it, but the fact of the matter is I really don't know enough to comment. It hit me, Thursday? and I cried a lot, selfishly. I couldn't help but think of all the time I won't get to spend with them now - no more ballet lessons (the costumes mom brought out probably won't fit them anymore if and when they do come back to live here), no crafty projects (I was going to teach them to make hippie shirts and hats for fun and to also use up all my extra fabric), no field trips to the ballet or ball games or anything like that. No kids. I was to drive them to the airport. I arrived to find David helping the kids fold laundry. Seems they were dragging their feet (Kiera had been in charge of putting a load into the dryer... Neither one of them wants to move, so I'm not surprised the tight schedule with pre-flight laundry was sabotaged). I started asking the kids about their stepbrother, Colin. How old is he? 11 (they're 9 and 10). Is he nice to you? They exchanged a look. Well, says Kaylei, let's just say that he makes you glad you're a lot smaller than he is. Why, I ask. That way, says Kaylei, he can't follow you into the small places you wedge yourself to get away from him. And, folks, I can do absolutely nothing about this. I tell the girls that that means they need to stick together. No fighting amoung the troops, kids, you need to help each other if you're going to face this bully. It is the best advice I can think of. There was a huge fire - we saw it as gigantic clouds of billowing smoke - on the drive to the airport. Fitting. At the airport I ask David if he'll park the car so I can spend a few more minutes with the girls. He does. Lydia, the girls and I get inside and ponder the long line at the counter where you check your bags. We try to get a skycap to help us, but they just tell us to ask to cut in line. The first woman is a bitch, saying that she has a flight to catch soon, too. The third guy in line allows us to cut in front of him and his wife. Lydia leaves me there to check their luggage. I start to tell the nice man and his wife what's going on - but when I say, "she lost the girls" I burst into tears. He's confused, but his wife reads me better, "It's a custody battle, Henry". I nod, unable to speak, feeling like a big mushy idiot. I gather myself together, finishing my explanation - that the girls didn't want to go, which is why we're running so late for this flight. It's then I realize that I don't have my own photo ID (in the trunk of the car), nor the girls' flight info. I check with a surly skycap - yes, indeed, I'm wasting my time. I wanna see the girls, I don't wanna be trying to check this luggage I'm legally unable to check, anyway. I try to go through the metal detectors, only to find they won't let me through. They send me to lost and found, where I write my name on the suitcase and start running for their flight. It's on the other end of Oakland Airport. I ran the entire way. I was wearing an outfit I know Kaylei particularly likes - a flowy turquoise/blue/green skirt and purple shirt. I couldn't find my Eastlands, so I'm wearing heeled sandals. Tears are streaming down my face, I'm not used to running, so I'm breathing heavy. Long red hair flies around my face as I pass differing air pressures. I think I scared the girls. They were there, with David and Lydia, and I hadn't time to compose myself as I ran up. I got to hug both of them, kiss their shiny brown heads, and wave tearfully as they boarded the plane. Not exactly the lasting image I wanted to leave. I'll spare the details of how we checked the rest of the luggage through. We were there another hour or so, dealing with *another* piece we forgot. We got back to Lydia's where I told her juicy, raunchy details of my life that even shocked David. He asked me later why I decided to tell her those things, and I said, "well, she was certainly distracted by them, wasn't she?". Yes, she was. Later that day CornMan called and needed his wallet that he'd left at my place. It was an excuse to leave damage control to David. I took Corn his wallet, then went to Kimio's party alone. It took me awhile to warm up (there weren't very many people from work there, so I only knew one or two people), but I ended up having a great time. Kimio lives in downtown Oakland, and he had a band playing on his roof. It was pleasant to lie back and let the music wash over me. I could see the skyline on one side and the hills on the other. Krista and I chatted a bit, and I met our company travel agent, Randy, whom I talk to everyday when I answer the phones (cute, smart, funny). I came home and, well, what did I do? I cleaned up a bit. David wanted to come by later to talk about the day, but he just flopped on my bed and didn't move until he left a few hours later. We processed more on Sunday. I went to bed kinda early and slept late into Sunday. | ||
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