Road trip

Friday I was doing what I usually do, which is try to fill up the day with as many things to do as possible before it’s time for dinner, preferably with Daddy but, you know, if not then not. Whatever.

So I talked to Darin Friday afternoon about what we should do for dinner and he told me, “I have to work this weekend.”

“Oh,” said I. “Maybe we’ll go to LA.” I’ve been talking about wanting to come down here, and Darin thought that a weekend when he’d be busy would be perfect.

I called my friend Maureen and she said, Sure, c’mon down.

I called Darin back to tell her that we’d go down on Saturday when he laid it on me that he’d be working late Friday night too.

“Just a sec,” I said, and I called Maureen back. “Can we come down tonight?” I asked.

“Sure!” she said.

So I tossed some clothes in a bag and threw the kids in the car (albeit gently, and with proper strapping into their car seats) and headed off toward LA. A trip somewhat hampered by the fact that we left at 5:30pm, and also by the fact that the Pacheco Pass (the highway connecting 101 and 5) was a parking lot. Literally. The standstill was so literal that everyone turned off their engines and quite a few people were walking around. I still don’t know why.

Instead of getting in to LA at 10:30 we got there at 12:30am, and I realized that I’m not exactly built for spur-of-the-moment roadtrips any more. (Note to self: when possible, bring a co-pilot.) But the kids were pretty good companions and so far we’ve been having a blast seeing the old ‘hood and the friends Sophia talks about incessantly.

The past five weeks (It’s been five weeks! How can it have been five weeks?) have been difficult on everyone—Sophia hasn’t had her preschool or her circle of buds, and I haven’t had very much adult companionship. I’m not the most gregarious of people (she said with obvious understatement) but during this move I’ve been accosting other moms in the park—”Hi, how old are you kids? Belong to any mommy groups? Are there any other parks around here?” And so on.

Sophia starts preschool and dance class soon. Help is on the way. Life will become normal again.

What’s funny is, though I lived in LA for 6+ years—the longest I’ve lived anywhere since leaving my parents’ house—I don’t exactly feel being here is natural. I had to fill up my car Saturday morning and I couldn’t quite remember where the nearest gas station was. I drove by the old homestead and thought, Hey, I used to live there. It didn’t immediately bring up nostalgic feelings.

In a few days we’ll head back home (or, as Sophia put it when she was getting sleepy and cranky this afternoon, “Let’s go back to our new house now“)…hopefully with no parking lot on the Pacheco Pass. I’m glad to be back here in LA. But this isn’t home any more.

Addendum: This morning, as Maureen was getting a small passel of gifts together, I discovered today is Father’s Day. Darin isn’t exactly the Hallmark type but…what a weekend to go away. Happy Father’s Day, dude! Don’t stay up too late playing Zelda every night.