the Heart Approaches What It Yearns

I’ve been really, really busy. I don’t think there’s been an afternoon this week that I haven’t come home from the school, gotten everyone fed and out into the backyard, and then plopped myself down into a bench, watching the boys as their boundless energy carries the around the yard and adjacent woods, careening and bouncing off of each other like an exploding bag of schizophrenic ping-pong balls. And each time I do, I think to myself, “How did Maggie do it, day in and day out?”

Tomorrow is the second anniversary of Lady Ann’s. It’s rather odd how a chat room has affected so many lives. It created tension and turmoil, not the least of which was between Maggie and me. Then it brought the two of us much closer together, and opened up our hearts to each other.

When I first heard about it from Maggie, I immediately thought, “You’ve got to be kidding. You’re talking about a chat room? Is it one of those places where teenagers hang out, typing things like “kewl” and “lol”? One of those places where half the guys pretend to be really hot studs and the other half pretend to be really hot women?”

Well, yes, there’s some of that, but they try to keep that to a minimum – the more important thing to me was the sense of community and that a woman would be cherished, and not treated like someone to hit on.

Of course, Maggie being there made it all OK.

I made some great friends there: Amber, Ann, Deacon, Eoghan, Eve, Suzi, and others. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my personality: what my limits are and what turns me on.

OK, plenty of requests for more information about how my date last week with Monsieur went. The short answer: it was lovely.

Oh, OKAY! I know you want details, you saucy little vixens!

It was Thursday evening and we were finishing with dinner. The dinner table was very crowded with our two guests, so I set up a little table for Middlest Boy, Littlest Boy and me to eat, off to one side of the dining area. I heard Belle-Mère chattering in French to Mademoiselle and Monsieur; it sounded as though they were offering something or another to him and he was refusing, arguing pleasantly about it.

The Littlest Boys were starting to act up, so I cleared their plates and went into the kitchen to start tidying up. Mademoiselle and Monsieur were drinking wine, and Belle-Mère got up to help me at the sink.

“Would you like to go out tonight? With [Monsieur]?” she whispered.

I looked at her with a questioning glance.

“Oh I think you should, dear,” she continued. “He says you two haven’t been out alone together in months. I think you should go out and see a show or something.”

“Well,” I said, “it sounds lovely but tonight’s a school night.”

“A school night? Ridiculous! You’re the teacher, non?”

“Oh I’m just kind of like a student teacher, really,” I said, modestly. “I’m not the real teacher yet.”

“Parfait!” she smiled. “Then it should be no problem if you are late, non? And the boys, if they miss one-half day, one day, I don’t think is it a crisis.”

“Why are you doing this for us?” I asked.

“Me, I have for two reasons: One, I think you both should be going out, yes? It isn’t good for young people to only worry about works, houseworks, caring for children – you need time away from the house to be a couple.” Then she leaned in and whispered even more conspiratorially, “Other reason is: I want to spend some time with my grandsons, without the father or the nanny around, to find out how things are really going.”

“You think there is something going on with them that they won’t say in front of us?”

“But, of course! I had three children, too, you know. One girl, two boys I have! Is there something you tell your grandmother that you don’t tell your father?”

“Well…” I started.

“Of course, yes, there is,” she winked. “Go to put on that party dress and I will work on your boyfriend. He only thinks that he can show a spine to me!”

So, with Belle-Mère reading Bonsoir Lune to a captive audience of two Littlest Boys, and Mademoiselle playing Math Jeopardy with the Bigglest Boy, Monsieur and I headed out to see some movie or another.

“We should be back by eleven,” I said to Belle-Mère.

“Midnight – not before!” she said to us over her shoulder.

“Maman,” Monsieur began.

“Go out,” Belle-Mère said, “get some drinks. Have fun.”

Monsieur apparently thought better of it and closed his mouth. He kissed the boys, took my arm, and we left.