Alone Together

This is Fall Break, which I think is poorly named and unnecessary.

They've been at day camp every day this week, which turned out to be harder on all of us than I thought it would be.  Longer hours, different routine... enough to turn us inside out with missing each other.  My extrovert is living the high life and missing his mom.  My introvert is maxed out and missing his mom.  This is not a good recipe.

I'm torn between missing them and knowing I can't do the long hours that a fall break demands from a mother.  I picked them up early today; they were showing every sign of needing me.

We're at Starbucks.

An orange smoothie for him.  A hot chocolate for him.  An iced toffee nut Americano and a venti ice water for me.

They are playing iPod games.  I am reading a book.  Tucker has a stain of chocolate around his lips.  Tyler keeps kicking me under the table, since his legs move with the character on his screen.  They're eating the leftovers from their lunchboxes.

We are alone together.  Together alone.

Sharing space is a language.