Last night was my "sleepover" with my cousin Rosemary. She was in Chicago for less than 12 hours, between flights. We stayed at the O'Hare Radisson,* which got her out of the airport and into a bed, saved her the expense/hassle of renting a car (the hotel has a complimentary shuttle), and best of all, for me, kept her out of my apartment.
We actually had fun! I wasn't expecting this turn of events, but there it is. She was buoyed by her trip to Poland, where she dug around in her family history -- visiting churches and cemeteries and farmlands. Her trip was personally guided by a ancestral expert named Ava. She learned a great deal, and it was her dream come true.
She was full of tales about her hotels, about watching NCIS in Polish (they're still on Season 3!), about security in European airports, about shopping for citrine (I got a pair of earrings).
But she was fun and affectionate last night. She even indulged me bringing her up to date on my Cubs. I couldn't stop myself, and as I was halfway through bragging about the standings I remembered her snark from three years ago -- "I don't live and die over baseball, Gal." But yesterday she was positive, saying that she has "high hopes that this will be the year."
It occurs to me that maybe she finally found something that made her happy. Her life has been a little low on joy. I love her, and was happy to see her happy. I know she loves me, and as time goes on and my family gets smaller, I appreciate and honor that bond.
*We ended up at the Radisson because other hotels were booked by a convention. Don't stay there. Near O'Hare, there are many better choices.
I'm glad you had a good time. I know you usually dread her visits so this is indeed happy news! (Sorry about the ensuing migraine though. BOOO.)
ReplyDeleteHow nice that it turned out to be so different from what you expected!! Excellent!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had a positive visit!
ReplyDelete