Somewhere in an Alternate Universe

Every Saturday is more or less the same. Errands, avoiding laundry, I try to squeeze in gym time –but lets face it, it’s the weekend. I’m more interested in sleeping in.

So after a day filled with running around like a chicken with my head cut off…I DON’T go to bed. What do I do? I go to my neighbor’s house. My presence was requested by them, and the bottle of tequila they had. No special reason; no birthday party, or graduation, no quince or bbq. Just some tequila and sunflower seeds. I may or may not have even twittered.

Yes, my neighbors and I like to keep it klassy, why do you ask?

A month ago, I probably would have been eating from a taco bar that my neighbor had made while she dug through the “girl fridge” (like a beer fridge, but stocked with wine, hard ciders and REAL liquor ‘cause I don’t drink beer) for something to drink. We would have been discussing 4th of July festivities, The Man’s retirement, maybe even the Superbowl Cruise next year. She would have had some “honey do” task for The Man to do because she lived alone and we loved her like family.

She lived next door to my family for almost 20 years. She didn’t have any children of her own. But she adopted me AND my brats. She became my Mom’s best friend. She used to put a bowl of fruit on the bottom shelf of her fridge so The Boy could get his own snacks when he would invite himself over to watch cartoons at her house. She’d take him out every Sunday for Mickey D’s breakfast. She had a hat box filled with barrettes and hair bands and she would do The Brat’s hair Sunday afternoons for school on Monday.

We all called her Auntie. Last month, she died unexpectedly. I couldn’t write about it then. It was too much of a surprise, too hard to put into words, too painful to talk about. It’s one thing when you know that somebody’s gonna die, quite another to come home and realize that somebody so full of life was snatched away with no warning at all. And you’re left with that confused feeling of why it had to happen like that.

I saw my neighbor on Mother’s Day. She had returned from her Mother’s house, where she had spent the day and was going to bed. And she’d wished me a Happy Mother’s Day. This Sunday, she probably would have wished The Man Happy Father’s Day..maybe even cooked something. If I was going to cook, I would have made sure I had enough to send her a plate.

This Sunday, I’m going to wish The Man a Happy Father’s Day and spend time with my family. I’m going to visit my Dad and my FIL and wish THEM a Happy Father’s Day.

When I go outside, I’m going to look over at her house, but I know she’s not there. I’ll try not to cry, but I’m sure I probably will, if just a little bit. And while I keep The Man company as he smokes a butt on the porch (because he is NOT allowed to smoke in the house) we’ll probably talk some about if Gail WERE here. If Auntie Gail WAS here, she’d wish you a Happy Father’s Day, and make you a jar of salsa that you wouldn’t have to share with anybody (except me because I would totally steal some if you didn’t). And she’d let you talk her into having a drink with us. We would thank her for the salsa because I swear she must sprinkle crack in it, it was so good and she would say “c’mon you know I love you guys”

And we loved her back. I’m pretty sure that if she were here, she’d say all of those things.

But she’s not.