255. Killing Time

from: xxxxxwp@gmail.com (me)
to: xxxx911@hotmail.com (Cayden)
date: Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 11:06 PM
subject: 2 days!! Good Morning, baby! Just two more days until you're here! I can't freakin wait.  I'm feeling a little bit better, so I'm hoping to wake up tomorrow and feel 100%. That's the plan, at least.  Watched the finale of American Horror Story tonight. You really need to download that and watch it on the plane! Well, some of it is a little graphic... so I guess it might not be appropriate to watch if there are any kiddos sitting near you.  Just one more day of work and then tomorrow night is our Friend's Christmas. Well, I'm off to bed. Can't wait to fall asleep next to you so soon! Love you!

----

As usual, I was sick. I'd taken the past two days off work to try to get healthy before Cayden's visit. After my sinus surgery and tonsillectomy, I thought I would be unstoppable. I was wrong. I couldn't breathe. Anytime I breathed in, I coughed until I wheezed and then the wheezing made me cough. It was a vicious cycle. I couldn't even use my inhaler because I'd take one puff and cough it all out. I was using DayQuil, NyQuil, Mucinex Cough Expectorant and a full dose of positive thinking to fight it off. The cough had been accompanied by body aches and chills, but those symptoms had since faded. I assumed I was on the up and up. I refused to be sick during another one of his visits. Especially a Christmas visit.

I hit send on his "Good Morning" email and then went to bed. It always felt weird typing "Good Morning" at 11 pm. I only had to survive one more day of work before the long holiday weekend.

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from: xxxx911@hotmail.com (Cayden)


to: xxxxxwp@gmail.com (me)


date: Thu, Dec 22, 2011 at 5:48 AM


subject: Re: 2 days!!

Good morning baby

I hope you're feeling much better this morning than you have been. Be great if you can be all healthy for when i'm there :)

Ah yes, just 2 days, the day after tomorrow. I can't wait. I've got a bit of a wind down period now. This morning has gone ok, going for lunch with everyone at the pub in about 10mins and then this afternoon i'll be wrapping my work up. Tomorrow we're having sausage rolls and mince pies in the office, then half day :)

Ok, off to pub now

Love you

----

I couldn't focus at work that Thursday. I just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up until it was time to go to the airport on Saturday. I was excited for our 'Friendsmas' that night (not unlike 'Friendsgiving... basically just a holiday celebration with close friends), but I was bummed Cayden wouldn't be there. It feels strange now when the whole group is together and Cayden's not there. He hadn't only become the missing part of me, he'd become the missing piece of my puzzle of friends. 

I didn't have much to do to keep me busy at work because most of my clients live in Australia and they get 30 days off work for the holidays or something ridiculous like that. To keep from dozing off at my desk, I attempted to rewrite 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' with a social-media angle. I could consider that "work," right?

But then I saw that Cayden had signed onto Gchat. 

Cayden: sooooo close

me: you're goingto be here so soon!

Cayden: i know

can't believe it's finally here

i want to keep looking up things on my trip but there's nothing else to look up haha

i've been looking it all up for the past 2 weeks

i know the terminals i'm flying from

i know where i'll probably fly from when I get to Detroit

it's pretty well planned out

i guess i should really wrap your present

but i'll do that tomorrow when i wake up

me: I have all of yours wrapped and ready for you

Cayden: really?

aren't you efficient

i can't wait to spend time with you again

i just want to give you a big hug

me: I just want you to give me a big kiss :)

Cayden: i will

i just want to be there

today was such a big hurdle

now i can relax

just sent you my flight details

me: thanks :)

Cayden: ah i feel so relaxed now

laundry drying

got what i needed to get

think i'm set

me: I'm trying to rewrite 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

for a blog post

Cayden: ah, a social media version?

me: Yeah, but it's going to take me forever. 
I didn't realize how long this song is!

Cayden: yeah, that's a long one

wow it's only 9.45 here

i thought it was about 11pm

me: are you already sleepy?

Cayden: kinda

i may put a movie on

me: Truman show!!

American Horror Story!

Cayden: well i still have dexter to watch

so while i'm watching that, i'll try and download truman show

won't have time to get in to american horror story

topher and kate are having technology problems hahahaha

how funny is that?

i told him he would

me: haha, what kind of tech problems are they having now?

We've had em all!

Cayden: they're trying to skype and her skype on her phone isn't having it

they're going to wait til saturday when they're both at computers

me: ah, that sucks

Cayden: they seem to be in contact quite a lot

me: uh, I'll say!

Cayden: well that's good :)

well, there's no way i'll be staying up late tonight, i'm way too tired

so i'm going to get up early instead

and try and run

so i'm going to head to bed now

well baby, enjoy friendsmas tonight

wish i could be there

but i'll be there 1 day from tomorrow

can't wait to be able to say 'i'll see you tomorrow'

me: you're callingit a night already?

weak!

  

Cayden: well if i get up early, i'll still be tired

that's all i need, is to be tired so i can sleep in the afternoon

way too sleepy now though

me: oOK....

go to sleep

Cayden: i will

have fun tonight

me: will do

LOVE YOU!

Cayden: i wont call you at the normal time

as you'll be asleep

so i'll call you later

love you too baby

goodnight


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And then I got back to my 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' remix. It was the most productive thing I did that day.

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the ‘Net

Not a person wasn’t tweeting about what he might get.

Their tweets mentioned iPads all shiny and new

In hopes that the big guy was on Twitter, too.

My laptop cord reached all the way to my bed

Where I planned on sleeping, browsed Pinterest instead.

My mamma would love those suede boots from the Gap

I repinned and tweeted then tried for a nap.

When over on Facebook there arose such a clatter

I switched from my Tweets tab to see what’s the matter

A lame pop-up window attacked me with Flash,

I was the 50^th visitor, I’d won lots of cash.

My pockets were empty, my bank account low,

“Just enter your birthday and weight down below.”

When, what to my wondering eyes did I see?

The clock on the wall, it read 3:23.

‘Twas no longer night, it was now Christmas day,

I’d logged on with purpose, with something to say,

I gave up my winnings of cash with a click,

And switched tabs to Facebook and tried to think quick.

Wow, Danny! Wow, Dougie! Wow Peggy and Reid.

Updates on their timelines showed up in my feed.

Danny got hired and Reid had a baby.

Dougie proposed and Peggy said maybe.

I liked. I commented. I shared with my friends.

I browsed through my photos from the past two weekends.

Then I changed my profile to the pic I liked most.

Wait, what was it I came on here to post?

Not pictures of dinner or what I had for lunch,

It was something so clever and packed with a punch.

And then I remembered. It came without warning.

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good morning.”


**