Departure...

April left early this morning to start a ten-week stint in DC for an internship. Letting her go (and her leaving me) was the most difficult thing for either of us to do. We sat in the terminal just holding each other. As Time's message that it will not stop, not for us or anyone else, we saw the constant flow of people boarding the tram to take them to their departure flights; We said, "see you soon" surely not to utter "good-bye", and she told me that she will not be looking back. I knew what she meant: if she looked back and saw me standing there, as I was when she was walking through the first security ID checkpoint before the trams, she may not have left.

So, we she got up gave me one last hug, kiss, and a "see you soon", turned around, and walked onward. I was walking backward, but could not bring myself to turn my back on her as long as she was in sight. Soon, I watched her begin to meld with the crowd of travelers, and before I knew it, she was gone, only to be known as a voice on a phone and a picture on a screen. As I looked down, I noticed I was standing upon the decorative compass rose that was printed into the carpet of the commuters terminal, and I was its needle; this makes sense as April is my North Pole.

I am now counting down the days until I can fly up there for a couple days at least. In the meantime, I guess I'll be working on making a life for myself independent of April. This will be good so when she gets back, I can have some (hopefully) routines that will allow her to have some alone time that she often needs for herself. As much as this time apart is painful, leaving both of us longing, it is healthy; at least that's what I keep telling myself.

I love you April, and I miss you.