8/31/09
End of summer, two days before school begins again. The girls are at each other’s throats; I’m thinking lunch at Bueno Y Sano is cheaper than hiring a short-notice nanny. I toss Stella in the stroller, even though she’s well past five years old; I don’t want to dally, and I don’t want to listen to whines about how much farther. Lila grabs her scooter and we’re off.
1. Halfway to town: Julie and her daughters.
“It’s not just that I want to be in your blog,” she says, and yet here she is, number one on the list of people I meet downtown. Lila and Leah catch up at the same time Julie and I catch up. Subject: Cost of school supplies; Hanna Andersson’s extremely liberal return policy; whether we can believe anything the Sigg company says after the big BPA scandal. After they drive off, Lila tells me she gave Leah a lucky penny.
2. Post office: BethAnn.
BethAnn has super-cool glasses; I tell her so. We compare: LGA starts Wednesday, while the Campus School starts a week later. I am SO GLAD we aren’t waiting another week, and I somewhat insensitively share this with BethAnn. We discuss jobs: part-time jobs, freelance jobs, poorly paid jobs, faraway jobs, the ever-present lack of any jobs, the insanity of all of it. I mail off the damaged backpack to Hanna Andersson.
3. Crossing Main Street: Sally.
My old Disney coworker — FamilyFun, though, so she’s still employed. I imagine she’s on a lunch break. My whole life these days is a lunch break — and there’s worse things. We say a quick hello but don’t stop to chat; the kids are hungry. (So am I.)
4. In front of CVS: Sarah and her kids.
Georgia and Lila haven’t seen each other in a while; they give each other shy smiles. Sarah and I immediately start catching up before realizing we’re blocking traffic—two adults, five kids, one large stroller. We plan to make a plan for coffee.
5. In front of CVS: Pam’s kids.
As we’re talking to Sarah, Lila’s old friend Talia spots Georgia and they give each other a big hug. I briefly feel for Lila — she knows both kids, but doesn’t see either of them regularly enough to feel comfortable and at ease. Talia waves a friendly hello to Lila, though. I’m probably (definitely) projecting my old social awkwardness on Lila, and make an inward note to cut that out.
6. Heading back home, in front of Fitzwilly’s: Gretchen & Marina.
Gretchen used to do a lot of childcare for us, so the girls are always overjoyed to see her and her daughter, Marina. We’ve just left Sweeties, so the girls offer their spoils to Marina. Gretchen and I compare notes on schools: Hartsbrook starts a week after LGA. Again I thank the forces that be for LGA’s earlier start date.
Total time downtown, including walk to and fro: 1.5 hours.
