Home and Away

I wrote this ten days ago, moody network in Algiers...

The girls and me have been visiting my parents in Algiers for three weeks today. And I am now getting ready to get BabelDad from the airport. He does his traditional thing of joining us for the last ten days of our stay.

It is a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, the girls are looking forward to seeing their dad. On the other hand, my mother confessed to me this morning: "I don't like when BabelDad comes. While he is away, I still have hope. His arrival means your imminent departure".

These are the kinds of feelings that tear my heart apart, on and off, on and off... 

Seeing my parents once a year is not enough, even if it is for a month. My parents could not visit us a week and go back home. The visa, insurance and flights make it too expensive a trip for such a short time. Yet, they could not reasonably stay for months on end. My mother stayed with us for 2 months after the birth of BK2. We drove each other mad.

What can I do? Where do we go? How can I make it work?

When I left home sixteen years ago, I did not ask myself any of these questions. Now, one tinwedding anniversary and three children later, I do all the time. And my heart aches.