Going Home for the Night

Before I type this and it’s read, keep in mind that I love and respect my parents. I actually have the utmost respect for them. I also love their house and the property surrounding their house. It’s a security for me to go over to their house to visit and it’s filled with childhood memories. However, I don’t frequently spend the night over there any longer!
When is the last time anyone has done this? Now, if your parents live out of town you’re excluded from this because you visit and that’s normal. I’m talking about your parents live in your same town and you have to spend the night at their house for whatever reason. I had the opportunity last night due to my grandson being sick and he needed to stay there overnight since it was so cold. I bet I haven’t stayed at my parent’s house for years.
It was a mixture of humor, nostalgia, and just a basic trip back in time. I’m amazed at how tidy things are at my mother’s house. I started to remember how she made all of us keep our rooms tidy and clean, but now that we are all gone, it’s just clean to the point of craziness. The walls are white; clean, crystal, pure white and each room is accessorized perfectly to match the room. Curtains are crisp, ironed and hanging as if they have just been taken from the dry cleaners and hung up just for me to stay the night. The bathroom is clean, so clean that you try not to mess it up when you’re taking a bath. How does one person keep a bathroom so clean? I’m amazed at how clean one person can keep a bathroom!
I slept in the spare bedroom. I was going to sleep on the couch because I didn’t want to mess up the bedspread (white) as it looked so perfect. She informed me it was “just a bed” and not to be silly. I carefully folded it down, as to not mess it up and slid under the covers. I felt tiny in the bedroom that used to be mine and I tried to remember sleeping in there, as I had night after night for years but I couldn’t. The train passed by (about 100 times) during the night and I used to be able to sleep through it, but the first time it actually made me jump.
Here is the funny part, I had to make a couple of phone calls; one in particular to a guy and I just couldn’t bring myself to call a boy at my parent’s house. Yes, I was back in high school, 18 again and just didn’t want to talk on the phone with my parents around. Amazing. Just felt as if it was disrespectful to sit in their living room in front of the gabbing to a boy on the phone. Feeling this way just cracked me up. Do we ever out grow our parents and feeling like a child around them? Obviously not!!
We did the normal things we have done for years; my sister came over so we sat around the table and of course you talk. You discuss people (of course), family issues, church, town issues and you gossip. Then when she left my mom and I sat around the table and had a snack and talked again. We did this when I lived at home and again; for a moment I was young. (She also lectured me for a bit but that is to be expected!) Some things just never change. Dad was in the living room watching TV while we talked about life stuff.
As I fell asleep (after she brought me a blanket, brought me an alarm clock and double checked on what time I needed to get up) I realized that no matter how bizarre it feels to go home, it’s still home and I’m fortunate to have a home to go to when it’s needed. (Even though it’s clean and sterile!).