Dear Friends,
These days always seem like they are so far away. Back in July when I came back from Maine, it seemed like October 4 was forever. It seemed ‘So Far Away’ just like the line in the Dire Straits song. Here we are, though, and tonight at 10:10PM, TQ and I will be on our way to Boston, then onto Maine.
What an odd choice for an opening song, in retrospect. Brothers in Arms is a really good record, a classic by just about any standard, but a mid-tempo song about missing someone seems like a strange choice to open a record that has “Money for Nothing” and “Walk of Life” in the two and three slot, respectively. I have to believe that someone from the record company wasn’t questioning the hell out of it.
Don’t get me wrong, “So Far Away” is a great song. I’m a sucker for Mark Knopfler’s delivery. It just seems kinda sad. As I type this, I’m struck by just how much I miss Rhondi and how happy I am to see her tomorrow. Listening to Knopfler sing, “You’re so far way from me” over and over in the song is ripping my heart out and serving it up to the universe at the moment.
But, alas, I digress. We’re heading east into much cooler weather. I will struggle later today to decide just how warm I want to be dressed when we touch down in Boston. We will be outside in the 60 degree-ish weather waiting for our bus to Portland for an hour, probably. That’s pretty chilly compared to here.
First world problems, I know. I’ll stop now.
Saw Granny yesterday. We had a nice little chat, and it was good to see her happy and looking peaceful. She was so excited for all the changes that have been going on in our family. She also got to spend a little time with Mia last Friday, so she was still kind of buzzing from that. I look forward to our next visit when I get back.
Cocaine Baby update: Extortion.
Yep, he took one of his classmate’s belongings yesterday, a little trinket kind of thing, and then tried to make her buy it from him. She seemed so weirded out by the whole thing when she came to me and told me. I’m sure the look on my face made her pause even more. It was just one thing in a long line of him being a turd yesterday and it took every ounce of restraint I had to keep from sending him to the principal’s office.
The worst part is that he wants so badly to be liked. He just doesn’t know how to be a friend. He has no clue what it means to build a friendship. He also doesn’t really understand that he’s got to work extra hard to build relationships because the majority of the other students know he is just trouble. There are a few that would forgive him and be his friend if he would just be a little bit consistent.
The cocaine baby is breaking my damn heart, thinking about him. He won’t be at school for the rest of the week, supposedly, because he is going to visit some family. The PE coach, who has had him in the past, said he will be much worse when he comes back. That’s the M.O., she says. He goes for these long trips to see relatives and when he comes back, it is with a bit of vengeance.
I think that is what he was doing today. Trying to piss me off to the point where I would tell him I was glad he was leaving. It’s what he knows. My heart goes out to him, even though I hope I get to mark him absent today.
See you tomorrow from the road.

Outside the Men's Room at The Sardine in San Pedro.
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