I probably should have seen this coming. The tone of her voice, while always slightly formal, some would say cold and distant, had seemed a bit more disapproving during the past few weeks. Maybe she found the familiarity and closeness of a relationship stifling, or perhaps this is only my dark places speaking, trying to make me doubt her. All that I know in this moment of stunning pain is that I did everything within my power to please her.
It happened so quickly. Just a short walk to the restroom, and when I returned to the table she was gone. No note had been gently tucked under my napkin, no glistening teardrops of regret left to linger on the white linen surface. It was as if she simply got up and walked out of my life. Can something like this really happen so suddenly and without foreshadowing? Apparently the answer is ‘yes.’
She left me without any way to communicate with the outside world, plus my favorite credit card. Now I am stuck in Europe with no money, and no one to tell me how to live my life. Siri…you broke my heart.
Yes, I left my phone on the table at the restaurant. I didn’t think I was one of those people. Every time I recall the experience, which is hourly, I enter my own version of hell. Whoever has mon portable now was smart enough to turn it off, leaving Find My iPhone in the category of ‘not so very helpful apps.’ The SIM card is probably in Marseille by now and the phone on its way to Nigeria or Lagos.
[Deep breath, exhale…repeat often.]
I think that I understand English somewhat well. I comprehend the language well enough to navigate most of life’s challenges. It took me more than an hour of repeated tutorials and failed attempts before I could finally succeed in blocking the phone. I skim instructions from time to time, hoping for shortcuts, but that was not the problem. I would have preferred painful truth over misplaced hope. Something like: unless you left it in your home, car or office, you will never get it back. Accept this and move on… right back to our store. Cancelling credit cards and phone service were relative child’s play. There is nothing like shared responsibility to make things happen.
There are worse things in life than losing stuff. We dodged a few yachts and many bobbing heads (swimmers’ bodies still attached) in the waters around Villefranche yesterday, each of the boys taking the helm for a couple of stretches. The water was clear to at least forty feet and we all basked in the warm sea several times. When you become grandparents one day, please take the time to do something like this. I know some of you already have. Bravo to you all. It is a great investment in their lives, and in ours as well.
