Tonight, our hearts were a little heavy as we had to say goodbye to Papa. He accepted a job to work on a project down in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. It's a great opportunity; and there could definitely be worse places to work. But it's hard because it is far away and Papa won't be able to come home as often as we like (Christmas will be the first chance he gets to come home).
Anyhow, we wanted to give Papa and Andrew as much time together as possible so that's why Andrew and I went down to League City yesterday. I thought about spending the night, but didn't want to risk it with a sick baby whose nighttime sleep is rather erratic and uncertain. I didn't want Papa and Ngoai have to hear Andrew crying. So, today, the three of us went down again for our last day with Papa for awhile. We hung out and of course, Papa and Andrew played together and spent some time outside (Andrew doesn't seem to care if it's terribly hot outside). And then, Papa made us an incredible dinner--steaks and lobsters, which incidentally, he had made the same for Uncle Anh Tuan and I when we visited him down in St. Croix when I was a senior in high school when he was working on a similar project down there.
It was really hard to have to say bye to Papa. Since Papa officially accepted the job, I have teared up a few times thinking about him and Andrew being separated, but no big water works. And I have refrained from doing so until we were in the car driving home tonight. Most of you guys probably know that I am a big crybaby. So I got to give myself props for not bawling beforehand. I am sad to see him go, but I didn't cry because of my feelings per se, but more for Andrew's and Papa's. They have such an incredible relationship and love each other so much; and I know they are going to miss each other like crazy. And what really gets me is that Andrew won't understand why Papa isn't around like he has been. We have both gotten used to seeing him and Ngoai once if not twice a week. We have been very spoiled. Every time he sees Ngoai, he immediately asks for Papa and expects him to be there. And every time we go to their house, he knows that Papa should be around. A few times when we have spent the night, Andrew will ask for Papa first thing after waking up similar to how he asks for Daddy. I know it's going to take a good while before he stops asking for Papa and assuming that he should be here.
But I find some comfort knowing that we will be able to see him in a few months and we have technology to help us stay in touch. We have phones (thankfully, Papa is going to the U.S.V.I. so his cell phone should work down there). We also have email and instant messaging. And once Papa figures out the IT situation there, we will both get set up on webcams so he and Andrew can see each other. And he has the blog to see what Andrew is up to in the meantime.
Bon voyage and safe travels, Papa. We love you so very much and will miss you. But I know the next few months will pass quickly and we will be reunited again (and in a very beautiful tropical island at that!)
Here's Andrew eating lobster for the first time and his last picture with Papa for a few months.
No comments:
Post a Comment