Gone are the days when my husband would “run out real quick” on a Sunday to “pick up something.” I was not fooled; he had forgotten. I knew this really meant he was standing in the appliance aisle of the closest department store, hand over his eyes, circling and coming to a stop, choosing whichever toaster, blender or mixer he happened to be pointing at and bringing it home unwrapped (unless you count the store bag) and victorious (at least in his mind). Forgetting that I cannot cook and have been the arsonist behind many-a-kitchen fire, he would hand it over, wrung out from the exhaustion of last-minute shopping and proud of his thoughtful gift, exclaiming “Happy Mother’s Day!”
It’s hard to tell which one of us lost that annual good time in the divorce.
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Mother’s Day has certainly changed for me as a single mom. The idea of receiving gifts from a partner—no matter how last-minute or inapplicable—is a thing of the past. It’s funny how you can go from wishing for things like a lock on the bathroom door or a bottle of a wine—or better yet, you in a locked bathroom with a bottle of wine and just a few minutes of peace and quiet—to hoping for a chance to spend the day with your kids. Of the many things that have changed in my life with divorce, holidays are some of the hardest adjustments.
