What joy to be having a girls’ night
with my two daughters. Granted, there
are two nine-year-old boys here, but after they got over loud giggly fits and
visits from neighborhood children, they’ve been fairly quiet. Meantime we’ve
had a lovely afternoon and evening. Lingered over wine and appetizers—including
the good tuna my friend brought last night and a sharp Irish cheddar.
Then they cooked while I offered bits
of advice—salmon in an anchovy/garlic/butter sauce with capers. Megan really
loved the recipe—she did the fixing—and Ford ate it, while Jacob refused. We
sat on the deck until cool evening air drove us inside. Then we sat in the
living room and had more wine.
They are delightful company—going from
laughter to giggles to reminiscences of their childhood. They’re busy
visualizing my new quarters, making suggestions for paint colors, and the like.
There’s a strong bond between them and a certain compatibility of all of us together
that makes for a smooth, happy evening.
For lunch today I had a visit from
another of my special people, someone who is almost a child of mine. Elizabeth
(known to the world as Beth) lived in my garage apartment for a year, during
which we had more fun, lots of wine on the deck late at night, cooking
adventures, and a generally good time. Probably twenty years before that she
had come to my office as a work-study student, and we just always stayed close.
She’s been in Pennsylvania for two-and-a-half years now, but comes to visit her
family here frequently and works in a visit with us.
Today we went to Torchy’s and brought
tacos home to eat on the deck. Jacob and Elizabeth were always close, and
Sophie adored her so the visit was a treat for all of us.
Guys are nice, and I love the company
of a good man, but there’s something about girls’ visits that is so special, so
unspoken yet so tangible. It’s a given that we can speak honestly without
fearing criticism, find support and interest and love.
As my youngest son said to me when he
found out his second child would be another daughter, “Girls are so neat.”
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