Friday, November 13, 2009

Home Alone

Opening my eyes, the first thing that I notice is the quiet. There is not a single sound in the house. I look at the clock and curse my body for rousing me at 7am. I roll over and try to go back to sleep—a luxury I’m not usually afforded. I toss and turn for another hour before giving up. It’s time to get out of bed.

The house is eerie and still, completely deserted like the streets at the beginning of 28 Days Later.

My wife and kids have left for a week and I am on my own. It is day 2, Saturday. A day filled with endless possibility. One that has not been pre-planned or scheduled. I stand naked in my kitchen pondering this blank slate. After a moment to let this all sink in, I turn on the TV. I brew some coffee and I make a plan for the day.

Suddenly an idea comes into focus: I am going to watch movies all day. I will warm up with a few DVDs then I will go to the theater and catch a double feature. On the way home, I will stop at the grocery store. I will buy a thick steak and a nice bottle of red wine. I will come home and watch another movie. It will be an action movie and the sound will be turned up nice and loud.

I am a man of simple pleasures.

As flawless as this plan is, the amazing thing about this day is that I am free to deviate from it at any time. I am not bound it anything other than the natural rhythms of the day. I cannot remember the last time I felt this free. It’s exhilarating.

I see a total of six movies that day. Eyes exhausted, I finally crawl into bed. It feels empty. I look at the spot usually occupied by my wife and fall asleep. I awake again at 7am the next morning. The house is cold and lifeless. The quiet no longer feels comforting. I am ready for my family to come home.

-Daddy Geek Boy

10 comments:

Sahildeki Ev said...

Looks like my husband's days when I am traveling..Lots of TV and pizza ...:))

MommyLovesStilettos said...

Aww! What a sweet ending :)

Shelle-BlokThoughts said...

Isn't that how it goes, you are so excited for that day of solitude and by the end of it all you just want your family and chaos back!

Excellent post! :)

OneZenMom said...

Sounds like a great day!

I think you know that my favorite thing to do on "sick days" - days when I am home sick from work and all alone - is to curl up on the couch with a warm drink, a fuzzy blanket and a pile of movies. :)

SciFi Dad said...

I stand naked in my kitchen

TMI.

Chief said...

I am wondering if my husband has ever had a night alone. I don't think her has!

That is pitiful isn't i. although he does Pizza and TV ALOT and stands naked in the kitchen, so maybe he is fine

Derek Armstrong said...

You know my perspective on this, and even though I like to follow the same rules as I follow on facebook status updates -- if you had wanted to supply the details, you would have -- the cinephile in me demands that I ask:

What six movies did you see?

I know it was awhile ago, so I am wondering if you still remember.

Also, if you are embarrassed about any of the titles, an offline response would be an acceptable substitute.

DGB said...

Turquoise...Oh yeah, there was pizza.

Shell...Thanks!

Shelle...By the end I got really lonely. My single friends were making fun of me.

Zen...The only problem with that plan is that you're sick.

SciFi...Good writing is in the details, right? When I'm alone, I'm pretty much a nudist.

Chief...You really should try to give him one.

Vance...Oh Vance! That's so not the point of this post. And I don't really remember the movies.

Mariah said...

Yo geek boy, you are a good man.I don't like being alone, but when I am I'm usually naked too!!

Dating Manual said...

hehehe... I ove the the post as much as I love the comments! ;)

WE BELONG