The Long Road Home

We arrived in Vancouver Sunday night. Immediately after 9 other jumbo jetliners from Taiwan, London, Fiji, LA, Alaska and other assorted exotic locations landed. Locations that require their passengers to go through customs. The same customs line up we were required to go through.

We met a man who tried to merge between Greg and I in line. When I explained that Greg was my son he apologized profusely for budging between us.

"Oh its ok", I said "It's kind of hard to tell I'm his mom".
The man, clearly embarrassed at his faux pas profusely began to make excuses. "Oh no!" he said as he took a step back and stared at us closely, "I can see the resemblance, you two DO look alike. You sure look like your mom young man". And on and on he went.

I glanced at Greg and began to giggle. After 10 days of Greg being told over and over and over again how he looked just like EVERYONE and ANYONE, here he was on our final leg of the trip being told he looked like ME. I laughed until tears poured from my eyes. Greg and I laughed together. And then I laughed some more. The poor man had no idea what he was so funny as he desperately looked around trying to make his escape.

This little interaction made me spontaneously laugh the rest of the day so thanks for the laugh Mr. Politically Correct to the Point of Desperation. I appreciated the meaning behind your efforts, but seriously, no need to be quite so sincere.

Greg and I stared down the two thousand person line up ahead of us and DIDNT CARE A BIT. We were HOME. Well almost home. Vancouver will always be "home of my heart".

The line up snaked through for quite a while and eventually we got through customs, out the doors and into the waiting car of my mother. My relationship with my mother is, well, somewhat complicated, and her relationship with adoption is also somewhat complicated. She is a "BSE" mom, reunited. Supportive, confused and maybe a tad overly personalized in our journey, we had a chatty drive back to my sister's.

Oh my baby boy Tanner was there! He had spent the week with his Godfather, his dear friend and my sister and hadn't missed me a bit. Ok, so he was taller than me with his shoes on (how did THAT happen in 10 days??!!??) and tanned and gorgeous and agreeable to be stuck on my lap the rest of the night. My sis commented on the authenticity of Greg's huge hug he offerred her. He was one happy kid to be back in familiar, safe space. I fell asleep to the chatter of the two boys comparing experiences, sharing stories and giggling long into the night.

And I slept. And slept. And actually rested. Because in the morning we would be going home.