Hubby’s Reunion Chapter 6

Having survived Saturday evening’s dinner, we wake up on Sunday morning ready to go home. We load up the car. Hubby has a melt down. I practice my restorative breathing…. “I inhale the beauty of the world. I exhale all stress and strife. I inhale the calmness of the world. I exhale all my negative feelings. I inhale life. I exhale the long protracted death I am plotting right now if somebody doesn’t just calm down and relax. I inhale peace. I exhale the desire to throttle somebody in this room. I am inhaling peace and calm. OK. Maybe I am just inhaling. OK. Just breathe. Feeling blood pressure rising. Desire to strangle reaching the red zone. OK. OK. Just breathe. Remember, in a couple of hours you will be on the road. Come on breathe. If you hold your breath it will be worse. That’s it. Just inhale. Now exhale. Go to your happy place. You are sitting on the beach at sunset. You are watching the waves while reclining in your beach chair. Suddenly a shadow passes over you. It is Sven, your masseuse and cabana boy, holding a tray with a fancy, umbrella drink perched on top. That’s it. Blood pressure lowering.”

We are driving to Tennessee and spending the night to get home on Monday. I don’t know if I can stand two days in the car, but since we are headed home, I think I will manage.

At the family meeting after breakfast there is some debate about where the next reunion will be. No one mentions the Bahamas. No one mentions that perhaps we need to change the schedule to every fourth year instead of every second. I keep my mouth shut for fear of being volunteered for some horrible job – like planning the next one.

We meet up at the local Barbecue place for lunch. I go out to the car while Hubby pays for lunch. Just before he steps out of the door, the tropical downpour begins. He gets soaked. We drive to Georgia without speaking. It has all been too much. This is the reason the reunion only happens every second year. If it were every year, the probability of some unfortunate incident would increase exponentially.

We make it to Tennessee and the hotel with no problems. I lay down on the bed and relax. My back aches. My butt is flat. My legs crippled up. Still I am happy to be headed home. Before I fall asleep I express my gratitude to the universe that my family reunion is only an afternoon.