Tea but No Sympathy.

I met Mom and Dad for lunch at the Lakehouse restaurant of Calistoga Ranch Resort (calistogaranch.com). It’s such a lovely, private setting, by its own peaceful little lake, with the Mayacamas Mountains in the distance. I could almost forget that I have a lot on my mind. But I skipped the wine pairing and went with the ice tea – a sure sign that I’m on edge. I told my parents about Michael’s bank-lust and mentioned every what-if I could think of. They offered the sort of response you’d expect to hear from retired people with few responsibilities, and who have been ultra-relaxed here at Calistoga Ranch for the past week. They told me not to worry, blah, blah, things have a way of working themselves out. Ugh! That is NOT what I wanted to hear! I wanted sympathy and concrete suggestions for talking Michael out of potentially commuting to Charlotte. They weren’t going there, probably the wisest choice they made that day other than choosing the oyster and sauvignon blanc pairing. I was on my own to sort this out. Oddly, my own parents remind me more of Michael than Michael’s parents do…

So, unable to engage Mom and Dad in my battle, we talked about the kids. Except for Andrew’s episode of dancing around naked at Circle Time - that required many apologetic phone calls - there were no problems, and the clothes stayed on the rest of the time. The kids loved the pool at Calistoga Ranch, despite the chilly weather, but spent most of the time in the hot tub at my parents’ guest lodge and insisted on using the outdoor shower every day (So would I!) They went on long walks, discovering an old orchard and an abandoned summer camp, and Delia even joined in a beading class with my mom.

I gathered the kids’ stuff and went to pick them up at school. They were surprised to see me a day early and were both joyful and sad, as they’d be leaving the life luxurious at Calistoga Lodge. Can’t blame them for that - they were facing a very simple dinner of tortellini and broccoli and most likely an earlier bedtime than they’d enjoyed with Mom and Dad.

Michael and I had a very long talk on the phone tonight. He should have been exhausted, but he sounded very energized and ready for his interviews tomorrow. Though it was already dark when he arrived in Charlotte he said the city looked vibrant. Dang. Napa is plenty vibrant in a different way. And New York is the MOST vibrant, and I am thrilled to be out of the rat race there. I thought Michael was too…

He did tell me that the interviews are preliminary and no decisions will be made for at least a month. Good news!