I had trouble getting to sleep on my first night alone, but once there, I slept longer than usual. I forget — were queen-sized beds meant for two people or only one? My childhood friend Suzy’s parents had two queen-sized beds. All the parents I knew had twin beds separated by a little table, just like Lucy and Ricky on I Love Lucy, and it was jolting to see their setup. I thought at the time that it was a good idea, scandalous though it was. That was a pleasant conceit, but I would like to continue in everyday life just as we are.
I have spent months or years in Greece, Italy, Austria, Germany, Spain, and Israel, and have traveled to many other countries. We still spend six or seven weeks a year traveling. Yet I didn’t envy my husband the preparation for the trip. I told him, “I would love to go on the trip but I don’t envy you the plane ride.” Six hours from Newark to Los Angeles, and 16 hours from L.A. to Melbourne, Australia. It was particularly soothing today to go about my business and return to my own home. Experienced as I am, I still have nightmares and daymares about death, dismemberment, and disease for several days before traveling.
I ate a Lean Cuisine dinner. No dishes. No prep. Pretty good.