Aunting

I’m aunting, starting Monday – for 11 straight days.  My sister is giving me her most prized possession on temporary loan, arriving as an unaccompanied minor on Swiss flight LX014 on Monday at JFK.  Then, for the first time in my live, I will be in charge of something (somebody, sorry) more complex than my plants – the only living thing I own.  Although I have quite a few of them (plants), but I think somehow it does not compare. 

 

My friend Silvia cautioned me today: “you better not break him”. In my head I added: “or lose him”. The pressure is on: he’s also the only grandchild. Imagine I’d lose him in the subway or in a shuffle in Times Square, or a bike rider ran him over, or a truck struck him crossing the street. I’m stressed. 

 

Usually a very sound sleeper, I dreamed that we were playing in a pool and the toy we were tossing around kept sinking to the bottom of the pool with each missed catch.  Just as I made my nephew dive for the toy again I woke up – totally disturbed I went to the bathroom, as he didn’t have a chance to resurface… I had to reassure myself that I had indeed NOT killed my nephew – at least not yet. Was this a sign of things to come?

 

Maybe there’s some kind of insurance I can take out in addition to my health, liability, production, negative and automobile insurance? Maybe I should ask my sister to sign a hold harmless agreement?  I should have thought of that sooner… 

 

On the new ABC show Neighbors the earth mother says to the alien mother: “Mothers never sleep, they just worry with their eyes shut”. Amen to that.

 

Post visit addendum: my nephew was returned with all capacities intact to his adoring fan club back home.  His fan club here misses him and we had a ‘mega’ (his words) time together.  (10/27/12)