happily ever AFTER!

Hubby made me a little promise almost ten years ago, when I was a new bride, that he would call me every day no matter his location. For the most part, he has been true to his word. I have settled for email sometimes, though. I look forward to his calls when he is away, just lovestruck. This week was no different.

This trip he was five hours time difference from us. He called us everyday, and we did some webcam, too. Wednesday night he told me he would call Thursday after Son1 got home from preschool. Thursday the hours ticked by. Ugh. I was seething. No call. Soon it was 6pm in Hawaii, 11pm there. No call. Where was he? Then I started to worry. At about 6:30pm, Hawaii time, my cell phone rang. That would have been 11:30pm his time. I heard it, but I was putting Son2 to bed. I figured he would call back in a few minutes. I checked the voice mail. WHAT??!?!? He was tired, and if I didn't call in the next few minutes, he was going to bed.

Now I brush off the fact the Hubby travels when folks ask me. I usually have, even in the early years when he traveled 50% of the year, and then 75% of each month after Son1 was born when we lived in VA. The travel in Hawaii has been light. So I really have nothing to complain about here. My in laws think I handle myself well about the years of traveling. I do most of the time. But after that voicemail, Hubby might break his almost ten year promise. I was mad, and felt the need to share.

I punched the numbers to his cell. My voice was super edgy. And then he called me on my edginess. Oooh I didn't like that. I will skip the drama, because I was a lot of drama. And there was nothing graceful about the conversation after he explained he had been out to dinner and watched a movie and was tired. Even more frustrating, he didn't offer much of an explanation. Finally we made peace before we hung up. He was going to call me Friday, after Son1 got home from school. Only two more nights until he was home.

Friday was busy. Son2 had a doctor's appointment in town, and it was lengthy. I cut it very close to make it back to meet Son1 after preschool. I pulled wide into our driveway. Son2 was asleep. I popped open the garage and ran straight into the bathroom. Just as I was finishing, I heard noise over head. Someone was in my house!! I panicked. Where was my cell? Should I call 911? I hadn't seen any other cars near my house. If it was a thief he didn't have a get away car. Cautiously, I looked into the dining room. Hubby's laptop backpack was sitting on the table. Oh!! Someone was ransacking our house. Maybe he had left his laptop, and they were going to take it! I looked up. The laptop was sitting on the desk, with my picture set as the background. My gut said something my mind couldn't understand. "HUBBY???!????" He called back to me before he descended the stairs. Nooo way.....what was he doing here???!?!?

"Did you see the roses I brought you? I got lunch, too!" He explained that the night before when he called me, his call was late because he was in the air. He had seen a movie, on the plane, not in a theater. He called me from LA, where he had spent the night before boarding another plane to Hawaii on Friday morning. His car was parked around the corner from our house, so I wouldn't catch on when I pulled up. He stopped at our favorite Thai restaurant, too, and picked up my favorite coconut milk curry dish. Now folks, that was some serious romance. Hubby has taken earlier flights to come home early, but never, ever has he been able to completely surprise me!!! Now you know I was feeling guilty for my little dramatic episode the night before.

We were all totally thrilled to see him and have some delicious food. The boys both went nuts over having their daddy home.