I make up for my grumpiness yesterday by giving Don the gift of laughter

Last night Will was out with his friend so it ended up being just me and Don for dinner.  Don made chicken breast with thyme and pancetta and leaks, with a nice crisp salad on the side.  It was tasty, but we had tons left over.  He had made three chicken breasts and they were rather large so I had a half, Don had a whole. 

“Our grocery bills are going to be way less when Will leaves home,” Don said.

At first I was taken aback, because I try as much as I can, to pretend that my youngest will never leave home.  Which is ridiculous.  Of course you want to have raised children who feel confident enough in themselves to be able to envision building a life for themselves out in the world.  However, it will really mark a huge change in my life.  I’ve spent my whole life taking care of people.  Who am I going to be once I am not?  Will I still be me? 

‘Chin up.  Look on the bright side,’ I told myself.  I turned to Don. “You’re right about that,” I said brightly.  “We’re going to save a ton of money.  Senior citizens eat way less food.” And I’m thinking about how the restaurants have special menus of the back for seniors which have smaller portions and smaller prices.  I used to always eat a whole breast and now I can only manage a half.  And I’m feeling all happy, that those great savings on food bills are going to be mine, when Don erupts in a fit of laughter. 

“What?  What?  Why are you laughing?” I say, because I know I must have made a funny joke, but I’m not sure what it is.

“Senior citizens?” Don snorts.  “Senior citizens.  Meg, you’re only forty-seven and me, I’m coming on forty.” He’s laughing big time.  He’s having to prop his head in his arms on the table because he’s laughing too hard to keep it upright.  “Senior citizens?  We have a long ways to go before we’re senior citizens!” And I laugh too, like I was joking on purpose, but really, it’s only around twenty years away.  My children are now 23, 21, &17 and it passed in a blink of an eye.  I’m going through menopause.  I have bones and joints that complain in the morning.  Don doesn’t realize it, but being a senior citizen is right around the corner.

Posted by Meg Tilly on Saturday, January 26, 2008 in Chewing the Fat

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