Saturday and Sunday

Jen asked me to post since she's not had access to the Internet the past few days. The redhead is probably over Alaska now, wishing the plane would fly a little faster. I'm sure she's thinking about holding Ema again, and maybe me too. I will pick Jen up Tuesday morning at 9 with the cute one sturdy in my arms. It took Ema five seconds last time to recognize Jen, but when she did, a smile appeared and she reached out for her mother. I suspect the same thing will happen again and the two will bond like never before.

Every family has secrets. One of ours is we like to eat desert in bed. Naughty, I know. But we can't help it. The wife loves to leave surprises. She's great at little gifts, tiny somethings that just shows her love. I know she inherited this from her mother. So when I arrived home the first night Jen was gone (feels like forever), what did I find next to the bed? A 10-pack of Twix. What a girl!

Ema and I ate seven of them, nearly one a day, well, we did cheat and have two once or twice. Also, Jen laid out Ema's clothes for the 12 days she would be gone. I'm down to one outfit. And the amazing thing, each set of clothes matched the weather. How she was able to correctly forecast temperature that far in advance, I will never understand. I guess it's a gift only mothers can possess. But here it was this morning, in the 30s, and Ema was snug as a bug while I defrosted the car.

I spoke to her Saturday and Sunday mornings (our time) but we didn't discuss too much about what she did those days. She was more interested in hearing Ema make animal noises.

"What sound does a doggie make?"
"Woof, woof!" You should see Ema's lips when she makes this sound. They poof out like a fish or like someone about to give a sloppy kiss. It's funny.

Jen did tell me that she visited the neighborhood where I grew up as a toddler. We got the address from a relative and Jen and a sponsor embarked on a little journey Sunday morning. They took a cab to the address after many consultations from others. They arrived at a busy section of Saigon and walked down an alley while dodging motorbikes and scooters.

Jen and her 74-year-old companion found two houses that may have matched the address. They knocked on one door. A woman in her 50s answered and spoke English. She invited them in for tea as she sent her husband to ask around the neighborhood for the exact location of the address. The temperature hovered around 90, and the tea was not an ideal refreshment, but Jen drank it out of respect. The woman also showed them a photo album of her family and Jen and her partner stayed for two hours. TWO HOURS! Photos were taken and Jen promised to e-mail them to the woman. She also promised to visit her again if she ever came back to Saigon. Hopefully, we'll make that promise come true.

Well, nobody could identify the exact house. The street was correct. The numbers were just a little off. The woman said that street numbers have changed often over the 20 years she's lived in the house. I can only wish that it was indeed the house and Jen sat in a spot where I used to push around toy cars.

When they departed, they found the same taxi exactly where they left it. The amount on the meter read 218 when they arrived back at the hotel. Jen was fearful that it was in U.S. dollars. Nope. It was dong. So for a trip to the other side of Saigon, and for the cab to wait two hours and then drive them back, the cost was $12. Let's all move there!

I can't wait to have my wife back. I've really felt incomplete these past few days. However, as much as the kid and I have missed our heartbeat, we are so proud of her. She is one absolutely amazing woman. I sincerely hope she gets more opportunities to see the world because she truly loves and embraces each trip.

One bad thing about her going to Vietnam. From time to time, I would tell her "this is how my people do things" in order to make her believe certain motives like eating with my mouth open or talking with my mouth full. But now I can't anymore. She has seen my people and now knows my excuses are just...