Dad just called me with news that the whole family is going on a cruise to Alaska this August. Where this sudden burst of generosity is coming from, I am still not sure, but it's amazing.
My only reservation about this trip was that I'm getting very, very tired of being the seventh wheel. This Christmas was particularly hard on me, but every holiday in the past few years has been tinged with a bit of sadness in that regard. I just hate that The Boy has never been able to do anything with me or my family. I miss him that much more when I am with them because his absence is so pronounced when everyone else is holding hands with their lovey and I am just chilling by myself with my book.
So yeah. Dad suggested a room breakdown for the cruise ship that would go as follows: sister and brother-in-law in one room, brother and sister-in-law in another, and me and my parents sharing a suite. I don't want to sound like a stuck-up little whiner because, hell, a cruise boat is a cruise boat. But it always makes me a little sad to do these kinds of "family" vacation things/events without my honey. And, being the kid who sleeps in the parents' room always makes me feel like I'm back to being six years old. It really does get me down - I hate to sound dramatic but I've fought back tears about it on several occasions. It's not that I mind sleeping in the same room with my parents. It's that I mind that I'm alone. The obviously wiser and cheaper decision is for me to sleep on the sofa bed.
So anyway, Dad and I agreed on dates and a reasonable itinerary. Now that The Boy has his passport, I asked Dad how possible it would be for him to join us. Dad said we should give it a whirl, and I said, "But I think he's afraid of boats."
Still, I hung up the phone and asked The Boy if he would be want to come. I had asked him this a few months ago, when Dad first brought up the idea of a possible cruise with me, and The Boy had answered, "I hate flying. Go by yourself." I was a little hurt, but I also figured that he was only saying that because he wasn't sure if he would have his passport by then. Self-preservation, wha.
So, today when I asked him for the second time, I didn't really know what his answer would be. But, he got really excited and said he would love to go. He even clapped his hands and did a little drumbeat on the table. So we're going to try and see if we can get the papers in order for him to go with us. I would be so, so happy if he could! I don't know what I would be happier about: The Boy getting to see where I'm from and spend some time in the States with me, or him joining us on the cruise. Please keep your fingers crossed that the American government doesn't deny him a visa. Unfortunately, it's highly possible. But maybe we'll get lucky.
Fingers crossed :)
Bonne chance!