Merry HoHo
I wasn't even home two minutes, I set down my driver's license and my rental car information and Mom scooped it up and that quickly it was hidden. It took 5 minutes to find where she had 'tidied up' my stuff. That wasn't even the shocker. That came in two phone calls, one when I was at the rental car agency and Mom called asking me where I was and where I had been. She seemed confused when I told her I had been on a plane coming into town. Then she called again about 15 minutes later and was looking for me in the house and I wasn't there. We laughed, she said she was glad I wasn't lost in the house.
Then she called my sister thinking I was lost as it was taking me longer than she thought it was going to take for me to get there. DAMN. Definitely 'worse' than when I was home a month ago. I had struggled with the decision to come back for Christmas. A new job with quite a bit of responsibility, a cross-country move, the money - but she's my only mom. And I knew Voyageur was tired and still had a holiday celebration with my dad's side of the family. So I booked my flight, packed some work and armored my holiday emotions.
After we found my 'stuff' we sat down to dinner. Mom's still a good cook, but now with odd combinations - scallops and chicken with onions - oddly quite tasty; shrimp, salad - with 7 different salad dressings on the table, orange slices and 2 chicken thighs (no, not leftover from Thanksgiving). I couldn't stop tearing up, she's so happy to see me (although a little confused about where I live) - it's only been a month and markedly more symptomatic. But happy, quite happy.
After dinner and a little desert, she went into the dining room to get me a gift, it was wrapped in used Christmas paper and tied at the ends with pipe cleaners. A pair of gloves, given with lots of love. I couldn't have asked for anything better. I told her my gift to her was my coming home, and she said that's all she wanted. Definitely worth my coming back, working remotely, spending some money and shedding a few tears and already lots of laughter. Now I need to go help her with the upstairs TV and remote :)
Back at ya Voyageur.