I heard the door open and the unique weight of Ian’s steps as he came down the stairs. When he saw me, his smile was genuine and warm and a bit shy and I was touched that my son was so happy to be home. He dropped his bag to give me a hug and went right to the refrigerator, looking for mom’s brownies and telling me about trying to make them himself. Behind him, the rest of the family made their appearances. My husband Charley burdened with stuff from the car, talking about the cold weather and traffic and Sarah, recently moved home, who coincidentally floated in from River Ranch, like the star of the show, drawing all like a magnet.
Kitchen table, wine opened, Sarah already “warmed up” by her visit to her aunt and talking loudly, interrupting. Everyone pretends to find it amusing except me. Ian leaves to unpack and Sarah finds him and verbally drags him back to the group. She wants to paint and party and have “family time”. Right now. I realize where this is going, decide not to put my body through it, continue on the path I was on when they arrived and go to bed. They are used to this; dad is the fun one. Mom is mom. She holds the space for everyone to be safe. She keeps the boundaries intact. She is physically weaker but strong.
Glad. Sad.
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You tell us so much in this little scene - so much about the family dynamic, about Sarah, about our narrator. By focusing on the detail, letting us watch the scene unfold, you tell the whole story. Wonderful!
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