surprise

I was missing my boy. A lot.  It has only been two weeks since I last saw him, and lord knows we have put up with much longer periods apart.  Compared to last summer, we do talk a lot more frequently and for longer this time around.  Though we'll do a short phone call every so often, we are mostly texters.  Neither of us are big on talking on the phone "just because".  I think the pressure of talking everyday with your long distance partner can be a bad thing (especially if one of them doesn't like phone talking to begin with... and that is both of us).  Although when there is something actually important to have a conversation about, it certainly has its place and we are good about that.  (We're also little more chatty if one or both of us is a little under the influence.)  But yes, we are major texters.  And we have gotten each others' language down, for the most part, so misunderstandings are few.   We do talk a lot more regularly these days so that definitely helps to make it less hard to be apart.

The boy takes Step 2 in 11 days, so of course he is in intense study mode.  Compared to the days approaching Step 1 last year, he is MUCH more calm and less stressed, and he has been working really hard on some days in order to have some free time on other days to play golf or see friends or whatever.  I'm so glad he's letting himself do that, because I know he gets a little stir crazy during these times.  I don't put pressure on him to visit me or let me come there, especially since I just saw him two weeks ago, and because he thinks that if I drive 2 hours to see him that he owes me 100% of his attention and a fancy date and an extended amount of his time.  I really don't think 2 hours is that big of a deal, especially for me, because I have so much free time on my hands, and I would take an hour of sitting on the couch in silence with him over not seeing him at all.

The last couple of days we had been texting here and there joking about me coming over, but with the conversations ultimately ending in something like "Stop tempting me, you know you need to study tonight...".  But, I know that if I ask to come out or bug him about seeing each other, he will (a) feel bad about saying no and start dwelling on it, or (b) get frustrated that I keep asking him when I should know better that the answer is going to be no, or (c) retreat.

Which is why I decided I wouldn't ask to come out.
I would just do it.  And not tell him.  Until I was standing in front of him at his door.

I know he has been staying up really late some nights studying, and other nights quitting early to watch a movie or bum around.  So around 8 or so last night I sent a basic text asking whether he was staying up late studying, or quitting early because he'd been so productive yesterday.  I wanted to make sure he didn't have random plans or was going to be having a buddy over or something.  He confirmed; he'd be "burning the midnight oil."

Okay, I thought, I can work with that.  I'd show up around midnight and tell him that I would gladly sit and read quietly while he finished, or just go to sleep in his bed and leave him alone until he was done... and that I planned to be out the door by 8:00AM so I'd be out of his hair and he could start on his studying as planned the next day.

I hopped in the car around 10:00PM and started the drive.  I felt nervous the entire drive, worried whether I was doing the right thing sneaking up on him... or if his reaction would be more like response (b) above and he would be mad I interrupted his structured/planned/scheduled study time for the night.

As I walked up to the door, I peaked in the window to make sure he was sitting there in the living room in his usual spot.

He wasn't.  It was his brother and a friend.  Figuring he was upstairs in his room studying, I tried calling.  No answer.  Hmmmm  this is going to be a little awkward knocking on this door at midnight and asking if his brother is home...  Instead of being brave I went straight back to my car and took a moment to calm myself to prepare for a surprise moment that wasn't going to go down exactly as I rehearsed.

I finally went back and just knocked on the door and walked in.

"Hey! Is he home?"
"No....  he is gone for the night."
"ARE. YOU. SERIOUS."
"Oh no, were you trying to surprise him?"
"Yesss...... nooooooooooo."

 Evidently he'd had a change of plans and had gone out with some friends about 30 minutes away... Assuming he wouldn't be out late (because of the whole studying thing...) and would be coming back to the house, I figured I'd just hang out in his room and wait for him to get back.  I asked his brother not to say anything to him, because I still wanted it to be a surprise.

Laying on his bed watching TV I get a text... "I am so sorry...  my brother told me."

Three hours later, the boy came home and got his "surprise."  He felt awful for not telling me he'd had a change of plans, and for not just inviting me out in the first place, and I felt awful for not just telling him what I was doing.  Regardless, we were together.  So we got over that quickly and just tried to make the most of it.

It was 3AM after all, so we went to bed.  I love sleeping next to him.
We slept in late and snuggled in bed which is our favorite.  I love waking up next to him.
I sat next to him while he watched the golf tournament this morning.  I love doing nothing with him.
We made a brunch feast of eggs and turkey bacon and pancakes.  I love doing anything with him. 
We ate and talked and kissed and laughed.  I love him.

Even though it didn't quite go as planned, it was amazing just to get to spend some random, unplanned, normal time together.  When it was time for me to leave, I told him I felt like I have been so spoiled lately.  (This was the THIRD time we've seen each other in the last MONTH.  Unheard of.)  He said it's pretty sad that I think I'm "spoiled" for us seeing each other once every two weeks.

But hey, at this rate, maybe it won't be that hard to survive residency, especially if we take the long distance is out of the equation......... someday.