As is now commonplace, we went for a drive last week to get Matteo to sleep. Your Mom stayed home to get a workweek break.
You save all of your tough questions for me when Mom is out of sight. I get no lifeline. In this episode:
“How did God put me in Mom’s belly when I was a baby?” [Umm.]
“How does God make babies?” [Eek.]
“Who will I marry?” [Someone I approve, in 25+ years.]
“How does the sun go up and down?” [Orbits, duh.]
All of those question also required a lot of talking that didn’t help Matteo get to sleep. Daylight wasn’t on my side either. I decided to drive to the Point Defiance rose garden and let you guys run around to burn any remaining energy.
The game of tag was memorable. I was always “it.” You ran with an urgency, and Matteo tried to keep up in oversized Crocs that he eventually abandoned. The two of you were like unevenly matched race horses. All bets were on you, and you squealed with delight as you enjoyed the constant win. The evening light was perfect and all roses were in full bloom as you two shot in and out of the rows of reds, pinks, oranges and yellows. We spent nearly half an hour running around when I finally saw Matteo concede some yawns. The timing was about right as the day looked more like night and we jumped back in the car to finally successful sleep.
I was off to Toronto the next day for my first time attending the Toronto Film Festival. I saw a few celebrities. Ask me to relay their names when you read this and we’ll see who I can recall and which of those mean anything to you. It’s tough leaving you guys and your Mom, so that run around the rose garden was especially important to me in the moment. When I came back from Toronto, you said I was gone a long time, which is totally true in kid years. You’ve only lived 47 months, so four days gone is relatively long.
I took you to school the day after my work trip. I should mention that you just started Pre-K at St. Patrick’s down the street. You look friggin adorable in your plaid jumper uniform. I melt. It’s one of those kid looks, and there are a few, that I will keep in my mental time capsule. You had a tough time at that school drop off, a combination of the still-new school, me dropping you off instead of Mom, and my coming off a work trip. Your teacher, Mrs. Lindell, had to peel you off me like a Fruit Roll-Up. That was as tough on you as it was me.
Life is going to create peels that pull us apart a little more often than we want, but to create some necessary independence for you to grow into your own person. I think that’s tolerable so long as we get to enjoy evening great races in between.
Love, Dad