A day off

Jacob and I decided to try an experiment.  We each took a day off and committed the day to each other.  It's the most time we've spent together yet.

So, I dressed for the occasion.  Baby-doll blouse that hangs just past my hips.  Ruffled rhumba panties.  Over-the-knee socks.

When I got to his house, he still had sleepy eyes.  He'd gotten his girls to school and was working on his first cup of coffee.  He told me to get comfortable while he showered.  I left him with a little tease.

"I wore good socks today," I said.  He loves my funky socks.  He glanced at my feet, which were still partially covered by my jeans.  "When you're done showering," I said.  He grinned and headed off to the hot water.

I lost the jeans in a hurry.  When I heard the floorboards creaking, indicating had finished his shower, I headed to meet him in the doorway.  I couldn't have planned it better.  The sun beams crossed that doorway as I leaned against it.

The expression on his face was such a thrill to me.  His eyes studied me for a moment, lighting on the long socks and then the sun in my curls.  "You're stunning," he finally said.  For the first time in a long time, I thought I might believe that.

Suffice it to say, the next few hours were...incredible.  We didn't break the bed again, but we managed to move it.  Afterward, we lounged and talked and laughed for a long while, until we couldn't ignore our growling stomachs anymore.

We dressed and headed downtown, to a lovely little cafe I found that serves the best Eggs Benedict, and with multiple variations.  We each got the Crab Cakes Benedict, with lemon hollandaise sauce. Oh so delightful!  It's the first out-and-about meal we've had, just the two of us.

He usually cooks for us, but he's letting me share that burden more often now.  Daughter and I spend so much time at his house that it just has to impact his grocery budget.  I can't let that happen.  Besides, he likes to clean up, too.  It's not fair that he cooks and cleans!  So, I'll cook now and again.  I try to clean, but he won't let me.

After brunch, we headed to a favorite bookstore.  With yummy, warm drinks in hand, we wandered the shelves.  No children in tow, saying, "I'm bored!"  So, we stopped and looked and read and discussed (and kissed) at will.  For hours.  It was sheer heaven.  See, my family hates to accompany me to bookstores because I can be there for hours on end.  Even Daughter, who is a major reader, loses patience after awhile.  But not Jacob.  He has the same problem, but we seem to have found a solution in one another's company.

We also stopped at Target.  To look at Legos.  Where I'm a Star Wars devotee, Jacob is a Legos fanatic.  I'd picked up some playsets he day before, and he and his girls were chomping at the bit to get at them.  My daughter had this reaction:

"I'm no good at Legos," she said.

"Then we'll get you a Duplo set," I said, smiling.

"You're not funny," she said, scowling at me.

So, Jacob and I stopped at Target.  And got a Duplo set.  Well, and a real Lego set that we thought she might enjoy.

The time passed too quickly.  Soon, it was time to pick up our children.  He looked at the time and frowned.  "Why does time move so fast when I'm with you?" he said.  He sighed, put his arms around me and kissed me.  Leaning his forehead against mine, he said, "Grrr."

This is a multi-purpose word.  Grrr means "I love you." Or "I wish for something else at the moment."  And he has a special Grrr for me that mean "I want you."  This Grrr meant all of that.

"Grrr," I said back.

And we went our separate ways.  I snagged Daughter and went about our errands.  We picked up dessert.  We were to meet back at Jacob's house for dinner, games, and Legos.  His oldest has asked that we now have a game night together once a week. 

After dinner, we cleared the table and brought out the toys.  As Jacob is passing around the boxes, he said, "And here's the one for Daughter."

She stared at the preschool box of Lightning McQueen from Cars.  "You're not funny, Mom," she said. But she was laughing.

Jacob burst into laughter.  "But it's Lightning McQueen!" he said.  "How can you not find that cool!"  They took the big blocks out and started assembling.  Which was literally two blocks to make the car.  Jacob pulled it apart and added another block. Lightning McQueen on a lift kit.

Then, he handed her the real set.  We all set to work pressing little blocks together and playing with the resulting toys.  He's right.  They're incredibly cool.  And my office now has a Lego landspeeder in the window.

Daughter learned that not only is she good at Legos, but she enjoys them, too.  She can't wait for the next Lego night.

As with almost every evening we all spend together, we laughed until it hurt.

As we said goodnight to the girls, the oldest hugged me tight and said she didn't want us to go.  "Why can't they just live with us?" she declared.

The following morning, my phone woke me as it buzzed with a Twitter update.  Jacob had posted something new.

"Yesterday, I spent the morning with my lover, the afternoon with my friend, and the evening with my family. It was a great day."

Indeed.