Away From Home Alone

I had dinner with the family on Saturday night. It's a regular occurrence, but this one was a little more special. "You need to come," my mom said. "Your sister is leaving on Sunday and we thought she should enjoy some Chinese food before she left."

She said it as though my sister, D, would be gone for an extended period on some remote island that wouldn't serve decent ong choy. Then again, in my mom's eyes, a week is an extended period and Idaho is a very remote island. It's probably a view many parents would hold if it were their own child.

Knowing how my mom worries, she will likely get little sleep this week. Knowing how D sounded on the telephone yesterday, I doubt she will get much sleep either. It will be the longest and farthest she has ever been away from home. She had such an aura of confidence and certainty on Saturday, but it was all gone when she called from her hotel room Sunday afternoon. Being alone in a strange place, even for a short time, can be extremely difficult for someone who is accustomed to being closely surrounded by family and friends.

I spent most of my time on the phone asking her general questions and then trying to explain how to get plain hot water from the in-room coffee maker for a nice, relaxing cup of hot chocolate. It's a surprisingly complicated and stressful process for somebody who abhors coffee and has never operated such a machine before.

She'll be spending the next few days on the Nez Perce Reservation conducting interviews and research for her master's thesis. It's exciting and busy work that will hopefully keep her from thinking about home while she's there.

The remedy isn't as easy for my mom. The only way to ease her mind would be to fly her directly to Idaho. I'm sure she and my dad will manage somehow, most likely by calling my sister every few hours to see if she's okay and then calling me to relay that she's okay. It's just how my parents are and how they cope, so I'm fine with it.