Bill left today to drive cross-country. His job has reassigned him to Florida. I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say that he will be gone for anywhere between 9 to 24 months. I've been dreading this day and been avoiding talking about it on this blog, and now it's finally here.
After I got back this morning from walking the dog, Bill was already packed, and teary-eyed. We said our I-love-yous and had our tearful goodbyes, and made plans on when we'll see each other again, and he drove off on this beautiful spring day. As soon as he closed the door I broke down in tears. Poor Devon the dog was frightened and confused.
Bill is coming back after his Southeast assignment, and we will be together again. I'm just sort of in a daze right now, trying to keep my mind occupied by trivial things so that I don't just curl up in bed and whimper all day. But as I move around the condo and see the empty room, and pet the dog, and feed the fish & frog that Bill left in my care, I can't help but feel a bit suffocated by the enormity of this change. Temporary, to be sure, but a huge change nonetheless.
We're going to see each other every few months. I'm going to fly out for a few days in July, and Bill will come here around October (just in time for the harvest up in wine country and my birthday).
Man, this is going to be so hard. We'll get through this, though. Our foundation is strong and our love is real. And thank heaven we're living in the 21st century - we've got phones, email, text messaging, online chats, and aircraft that all help make the world smaller and bridge huge distances.
And that, ladies and gentlement, is your daily dose of melancholy.