Summary: Angela reflects on summer vacation and Tony's first semester of college.
With a marked lack of patience, summer has come and gone with nary a comment from me on the events that have transpired. It was a fairly mild summer, in terms of weather and activity. While we weren't able to head anywhere as exciting as Puerta Vallarta for vacation as we did two years ago, we did manage to sneak up to Martha's Vineyard for a week. It was fun and refreshing to relax on the beach and tread into the salty waters of the ocean. Tony and I had a lot of time alone since the kids are both at an age when any time spent with their parents is time wasted. Mother was off with a circle of like souls that she found almost upon arrival. So Tony and I sought out antique shops and novelty stores, dined on everything from hotdogs to lobster, and just spent a lot of time talking and laughing together.
We also used the trip to mark our anniversary, albeit a bit early. Four years since Tony and Sam arrived. I can hardly believe it, and equally can't imagine what I'd do without them. So amid the shopping and sunbathing, we rounded everyone one up for a formal dinner to mark the occasion and share stories and memories of the past four years on the patio of a beachside restaurant. But by eight o'clock, the kids were getting restless to comb the boardwalk with friends, and Mother announced she was late for a date. So as was the pattern for the week, Tony and I spent the evening sharing a bottle of red and talking away the hours before walking barefoot in the sand on our way back to our rooms. And this time, there was no emergency appendectomy, no homesick call from camp, and no calls from the office to interrupt our private festivities. The whole trip was simple, carefree fun with the only person who I would have wanted to share that time with.
Back home, Sam, with her newly minted driver's license, was a virtual stranger. While it was encouraging to see her dependable logic once again outstrip teen-age vanity, her ultimate acceptance of the car Tony bought her ensured she spent even less time at home. Under penalty of walking, she also accepted Tony's decree that she drive Jonathan to various activities. "If you expect to pick on him like a little brother, you can chauffer him around like a big sister." I guess it's a good thing that we often treat them as siblings, even if we still respect that some issues are better left between the rightful parent and child.
As summer began to wan, Tony began to fret. Last spring's excitement of going to college inched its way, week by week, toward doubt and second-guessing. I thought I was going to have to drag him to orientation, but by the time it was over, he had a renewed determination and was eager to get started. Consequently, it shouldn't have come as a surprise when he dove head first into his classes, taking his speech class to unprecedented levels of seriousness. It was like living with a nineteenth-century orator for a few weeks, but despite the frustrating, impromptu grammatical and diction lessons, it was wonderful to see him realizing a dream and making use of all his potential. He aced his first round of tests, devoured his books, and talked endlessly to anyone who will listen (usually me) about what he's learned.
In fact, with the humiliating exception of one ill-fated frat party, there is no doubt that going to college is the best thing to ever happen to him. And sitting in that jail cell with a throbbing head and wounded pride, there were a few moments that seemed to make the whole night worth it (almost). Granted, I felt positively ancient around all those college students, most of whom were in diapers when I was their age, but then Tony and I took some time to reflect on our lives and share some insights about who we are and what is important to us, not the least of which is each other.
While there is still a while to go before the semester ends, I think Tony feels immense ambition to get the most out of this second chance. I have no doubt that four years from now, he will be a college graduate. I can only wonder at what that will mean for his role in my life.
And speaking of my life, I can't believe how business has taken off. Mother and I are working at a breakneck pace and barely keeping up. Clients are knocking on the door, and the accounts just keep getting bigger, admittedly aided by the Maddy we won last year that is now proudly displayed in the office. The fulfillment my job provides is incomparable. Never in my life did I believe I could garner such satisfaction from my work, but it supplies me with an endless river of pride, surpassed only by the pride I derive from my family.
So while hectic, as usual, our family begins this school year in good spirits with high expectations of things to come.