When The Cat’s Away – Day 6: The End of The Affair

Bee returns tonight, so – as I write this – I am savoring the last few bites of Ben & Jerry’s Crème Brûlée. It is with wistful longing that I shove the last of it into my already uncomfortably-swollen belly. So why, you may ask, am I doing it? Why not save it and eat it tomorrow? Would Bee truly care to see me with these two other men? The answer to the latter is that no, he would not, which then gives us the answer to the former. To clarify: I am forcing the rest of the Crème Brûlée down my gullet because I don’t want to share. Does that make me selfish?

Oh, shut up.

It’s been a busy day. I didn’t bother getting out of my pajamas until after noon, but I spent all morning cleaning up the house. Yes, I haven’t cleaned the house all week. Sadly enough, with Bee gone, it really wasn’t that dirty, so it was easy to pick up, sweep and mop. I also did some light organizing and put away all the tools I’d used during the renovations.

Speaking of the renovations: this is the first time I’ve ever fixed anything major that didn’t require me to go buy anything. Can you believe it? We actually had on hand (and I could actually find them!) scraps of Hardibacker, a 2x4, Hardibacker screws, tile cement, the proper-colored grout, caulk, and leftover tile. And that last supply was the most important because heaven forbid Home Depot carry the same tile they had five years ago!

So, a tip for you: when remodeling your own bathroom, don’t mix all the cement or all the grout. Leave enough of each powder in their respective bags for five years hence, when you only need a little bit of each to fix something. Because, let me tell you, it’s a pain in the ass to buy an 80-pound bag of cement when you only need about a pound of it. Also: those scraps of cut tile you don’t think you’ll need? You’ll need them.

So, despite the wavy caulk lines and the larger-than-wise grout spaces (due to one of my tile pieces being just a little too small), I’d say my week’s renovation was a success. I’ll be sure to let you know what Bee has to say about all my hard work.

Magnificent multi-tasker that I am, while cleaning I also managed to concurrently bake bread, do laundry, complete Mr. C’s comforter, and start another crock-pot meal. Am I awesome, or what?

Since Ben & Jerry have done their best all week to seduce me to the dark side, I’ve been to the gym nearly every day. After rockin’ out to ABBA as I cleaned this morning (a cd that, sadly, Mr. C grew tired of: must be a guy thing), I wanted to keep the workout going; and I wanted to give Mr. C the chance to get out of the house and play with other kids at the gym’s daycare. So, at 12:50, he and I got in the car and drove to the gym. Where we discovered that the daycare had closed an hour ago. At which point Mr. C promptly dropped my water bottle in front of the check-in desk, breaking it and spilling its entire contents all over the floor. So the poor gym staff had to drag out towels and mops while I slunk back out of the gym thirty seconds after striding in.

Back home, as I opened the door, I had the fright of my life: there was a man standing in the middle of my kitchen. Then I realized it was S.B., who had apparently called the house to let us know he was coming, but we’d already left by then. Flustered and a little shaken by my gym experience and S.B.’s sudden appearance, my tentative mood was made even worse when, checking phone messages, I found out I’d just missed a call from Bee before he boarded the plane. Why is it I can be home all morning, and just miss a call in the 15 minutes I’m gone?

So everything all together made me feel a little down. It’s actually kind of amusing how depressed I am not to have gotten Bee’s call. But then I realized what a good thing that is: it means I miss being able just to hear his voice.

So, despite the fact that I’ll have to clean house more than once a week, despite the fact that I won’t get to remodel things without input, despite the fact that I won’t be able to try any new recipes without certain condescension, and especially despite the fact that I’ll now have to share my ice cream . . . I can’t wait to have Bee home tonight.