I check the clock on the desk. 10:17 am. Great. I've got less then three hours to get everything in order before my grandmother arrives. I get down to the ranch and deal with Magick in record time. I get him cleaned up, and then turned out into the paddock behind his barn. I open the gate that connects the two so he can free access to both. I check in with Helen to make sure she has all the contact info in case she needs me, and then I head back up to the house.

I manage to pack, shower and finish dressing when the buzzer for the main gate goes off at exactly 1:00. I press the button to open the gate, and then do one last check in the mirror. Then it's on with the pumps. I hate wearing dress shoes now, but my grandmother would die of embarrassment if she was seen in public with me wearing tennis shoes. At least that's what she used to tell me when I lived with her. I doubt anything has happened in the past 14 years to change her mind. I hear the limo pull up to the front steps. I step out the front door as the chauffer gets out and quickly comes around and opens the door for Grandmother.

She gets out of the car just as I reach the bottom of the stairs. She's a couple of inches shorter than me and as lean as ever. She's wearing the latest fashion from Paris and her hair is now a pure white. Whether nature or her hair dresser did that, I don't know, and I'm not about to ask. We exchange the typical pleasantries and I invite her into the house while the chauffer puts my bags into what I already know is a nearly full trunk. Grandmother sees the pile of luggage I have waiting.

"Is that all you're bringing?" she asks in her soft Southern drawl.

"Yes, Grandmother," I answer, preparing for the same conversation we've had every time I've gone anywhere with her.

"Well, if you're sure you'll have enough to wear," she sniffs.

"Oh, I know it's not," I tell her. "I plan to go shopping once we get to Manhattan."

"If you think we'll have time for that, then so be it," she says. The Earth will spin in the opposite direction and reverse its orbit the day my grandmother doesn't find time to go shopping, especially while she's on a trip to New York. I always pack less than I'll need, just so we have an excuse to go shopping. It makes her happy, and I get to keep a little bit of what's left of my sanity. She and the chauffer, Kirk I think, both have a chance to freshen up before we head out for The Big Apple.

Once we're in the limo, Grandmother gladly fills the silence with the latest gossip. She tells me everything from the goings on in the family to old friends. She doesn't have very many old friends left due to nature taking its toll on them, but I know that she travels in enough circles to keep her busy in the gossip department. I listen with half an ear as I watch the scenery go by. Now that I'm sitting still and doing nothing, my mind wanders back to earlier this morning.

I've been out on my own since I was sixteen. The closest I've ever had to having a roommate is the occasional pet, but I've never felt lonely before now. I thought I was happy until he swam into my life. Until that moment, I never realized how empty my life has been. I remember the feel his lips on mine, the smell of his skin, the absolute beauty of him. The ache I was feeling last night is back. I close my eyes and sigh. Thankfully, Grandmother is so busy talking that she doesn't realize I'm not really paying attention.

A short time later, we arrive in Manhattan and pull up to the front door of the Waldorf Astoria. We quickly check in and are shown our adjoining suits. I change for dinner, and then knock on the connecting door between our rooms. Grandmother opens the door a minute later. She's also changed, so we head for the hotels restaurant. Once our orders are taken, Grandmother shows me the schedule for our week.

Tomorrow we go and see my cousin and her new baby. Then the rest of the week will be spent going to shows, museums, art exhibits and the like. While to the casual observer, our week may look like it's packed, I know better. I can see several spots through out the week when we'll be shopping, even if it isn't on the schedule. However, I notice the plans for Saturday, and I'm actually surprised. A day at a spa and then a black tie affair in the evening is what she has down.

"Grandmother, what's this on Saturday?" I ask.

"Oh, it's just a little shin dig that we've been invited to," she answers. "The grandson of a friend of mine is an astronaut, and they're having a party to celebrate his first mission."

"I wish you had told me, I didn't bring my evening gown with me," I tell her.

"Well, since we're going to have to go shopping because you didn't bring enough clothes anyways, we can go shopping for that, too," she replies.

"This grandson isn't perchance single and about my age is he?" I ask her.

"You know, I don't remember," she says.

If she doesn't remember this guy's age and marital status, then I'm a monkey's uncle. One of my grandmother's main goals in life is to see me married and with a family before she dies. If she only knew about this morning, she'd die right where she sat. Thankfully, dinner arrives before I can say anything else. We eat our dinner, making small talk. After dinner we head up to our rooms. I watch some TV to get my mind off of a certain blue man who keeps swimming to the front of my thoughts. Eventually, I get changed and crawl into bed where I promptly fall asleep.