Road Warrior - Two Ships Passing in the Night

Traveling for ones job does have its disadvantages. My fiance' and I both travel, sometimes we work together, sometimes not. We try to take advantage of what little time we are able to spend together. This week has been very "trying". We tried to meet up after a long week at our frequent Saturday night spot. "I'll meet you in about forty minutes" he said, "I'll call when I get close". Anxious to meet up with him after a long grueling week, I timed it so I would arrive at our destination in "forty minutes".

I was right on time, but no Tony. After a couple of minutes of waiting I received a call. He had tried to surprise me, thinking we could ride together. So, I drove home and we did drive together. However the same week, Tony was working in Cedar Rapids, I was working in the Quad Cities and would be passing through Cedar Rapids on the way. I thought it would be a nice surprise to wake him and snuggle for a while before continuing on.

I had left early and timed it so I'd have about an hour to spend with my honey. I arrived at the hotel but not knowing what room he was in, I called, twice and got no answer. I waited about ten minutes for him to get my message, expecting him to pop out one of the doors (I was parked next to his van). No response! I finally went to the lobby and had the desk clerk ring his room and she handed me the phone. Tony picked up the phone and hung it right back up. The desk clerk asked if I wanted her to try again. At this point, I felt like a stalker and with my head down and tail between my legs, I left. Later I would find that he thought it was his wake up call and his phone was dead.

On occasion our rendezvous do work out. On my birthday this year, Tony surprised me with a visit while I was working in Southern Iowa and he was working nearby, although "working nearby" can mean an hours drive. The lady at the front desk of the hotel let him stay at no charge and then in the morning, he was on his way to where he needed to be.

Sometimes, our arrivals home can be sweetly, synchronistic! Just a few weeks ago we converged at the same exit, at the same time, we could see each other's vehicles from across the road, what are the chances of that? For the most part, we manage to meet at our Saturday night, dinner spot, within minutes of each other. A few other popular "arriving home" activities are, catching the sunset on the lake or a bon-fire and grilling out (even if it is at 1:00am and there is a foot of snow on the ground).

It is the little things that mean a lot in our relationship. I leave notes and mail post cards from my destinations. Now, having moved up in the world, having added unlimited text and picture messaging to our phone plan, being six hours away from each other doesn't seem so extreme. Tony sends me texts with pics and sound and an occasional 15 second video.

Being on the road, with little time together can be an issue for some couples. I've seen co-workers come and go and listen to them gripe and complain about the situation at home but in the bigger picture, what is more important? Sundays, sometimes being our only day off, the dishes, cleaning, laundry and shopping manage to get done or sometimes not but it is "our" day and we don't make a big deal out of it. Sure, there is a lot to be done around a house but we make the best use of the time we have. Tony likes to sleep in, I am an early riser. By the time I get the dishes and the laundry done, he's awake and I get to spend the rest of the day with him. If he's out doing yard work, I'm getting other things done or taking a bath and reading a book. We don't whine or complain, life is too short! We just make the best of it! And it works wonderfully!