TheBanyanTree: Easter holiday

[JMoney]

On Monday I moved all the junk off the bed and turned the mattress.  On
Tuesday I swept all the little cobwebs from the walls and washed the floor.
On Wednesday I got out the linen and opened it all up to air.  On Thursday
morning I made his bed and started to wait.

At 7pm I made the first of my calls to the flight information centre to
check on his arrival time.  At 11pm I made the last of them.  Every time the
information was the same;  Qantas flight 846 would be arriving at 11.15pm.
It was time to go and pick him up.

The airport is only five minutes' drive from our place.  By the time we got
there I was feeling so excited that I couldn't be still.  Out of the car.
Off to the terminal.  In through the doors and straight through security.
Up the escalator and across to the windows.  Nothing to see.  Back to the
husband.  "It's not here yet," I say and then pace for a while.

There's a crowd of people in there holding some sort of prize-giving.  They
must have been camping or barra fishing or something like that.  This person
and that person are named as having been excellent at this or that thing.
The crowd claps for each.  I wish they'd all stop it.  It's distracting and
disturbing.  I've never seen a prize-giving conducted at an airport terminal
before.  I wish the plane would land.  I look through the window again.  It
has.  The airport staff are opening the gate.

So now I'm really, really excited.  I'm so excited I'm surprised at myself.
I take up a position from where I can see down the gangway but all these
people start pouring up it.  They're blocking my view, the nuisances.  But
then, suddenly, there he is, tall and smiling, looking good, and I'm
startled and full of pleasure at the sight of him.

He's tanned and fit from all the outdoors PT, marching, sea duties and so
on.  He's put on some weight and some extra maturity.  We had him for three
and a half days and he used them the way he wanted; playing computer games,
taking the car for a drive, going with his father to the shops, playing with
his dog, resting, enjoying the warm weather.

And now he's gone again.

Janice