This past weekend, I came into the office on both Saturday and Sunday, and did a bit of work.
Kiddo came in with me the whole of Saturday. She is at the tail end of her honours thesis and needs to continue to find fresh launch points to edit her work. We walked in in the morning, did our work and then went to a Turkish place at the Lyneham shops for lunch and then came back to do some more work before leaving just before 6, as it started to rain lightly.
On Sunday Kiddo came in too but left after a short while. I too left just after 1pm, went to do some grocery shopping at Jamison and then went home for some lunch. LBJ and I then went for a long walk, and when we got back I did some ironing, prepared my brekky and lunch for today and then settled down and talked to Tress on the phone.
That’s when it happened.
Hearing everything that Tress went through from Friday night, I wondered, for God knows the umpteenth time, why I’m here away from her.
Tress left Myer after more than 10 years. In that time she had made so many friends and left such a trail of fragrance that her departure became a really sad moment. I should have been there for and with her. As I should have been in Melbourne with her for my 50th birthday. I have missed all these significant milestones in my life because I have made this decision to take up this role in Canberra. Again, I don’t know why. Maybe I was just too miserable not having a job and the idea of a job, even if it was 700km away from Tress and home, sounded like an ok idea. Especially if it meant linking up with Kiddo again.
All I know is after speaking with Tress on the phone, I lied down on the lounge floor, listening to some soulful stations on Pandora. LBJ ended up lying just next to me. I missed Tress so much I felt like just returning to Melbourne and let the work trail end wherever it finds itself.
I’m back in the office now, continuing with the work I came in to do over the weekend. Tress is in her new office at Port Melbourne, starting another chapter in her life – and I’m not there for and with her. Again. I’m not sure I know what this phase is all about…
Ante 