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Dad reports:
No call from Tommy yesterday.
He returns home tomorrow. Those budget airlines are always on those small planes. I wonder if Tommy will complain the whole trip or be too thrilled about flying to remember to complain.
These days (will total 11) days without Tommy have been peaceful. The kids have described it as “no yelling.” But I think it is more that that. Yes there is yelling with Tommy but we had moments of yelling without him here. I think that it is the absense of nonstop, nonsensical talking that I have noticed the most. As the family interacts without Tommy’s presense I have observed many moments of group interaction during which no one felt a need to speak. Tommy feels the need to speak constantly. He never ever shuts up. That’s not entirely true as when he reads or gets into a game he is quiet but his talking is so constant that those moments are hard to notice.
Maybe I am off base there. Perhaps it is just that Tommy is so all consuming. With Tommy you are on egg shells waiting for the next “need” or next redirection or next explosion.
Don’t get me wrong. We all love Tommy. In his absense this family has seemed so “normal.” In Noah’s words, “I miss Tommy but I like the quiet.”