One by one our visitors, my family, our family, left to go back home to the West coast. They packed up their things, hugged and kissed us, hopped in livery cabs, and drove to the airport to board their planes and fly away. When Emmy left with the boys in the wee hours of the darkened early morning, I sleepily crawled out of bed to say my goodbyes. Just as they were walking down the wooden staircase to the car waiting out front, Beckett turned to Gaby and asked, "Next time, can you come to my house? And can you bring my friend?" Gaby repeated "bring your friend?" and Beckett replied "Yes, I want you to bring my friend over to my house please." And then Gaby understood. Beckett wanted his cousin Biet to come play. And Gaby said yes (of course). And that moment right then meant everything.
Now they know each other, a one-year-old and her three-year-old cousin. And though they may be miles apart, they now have each other. And growing up in a family where my siblings meant just about everything in the whole world to me, this warmed my heart. Her time with Beckett (and Dashiell too- although she really connected with Beckett) was Biet's most important first birthday gift.
The morning after they left, I got to spend the entire afternoon with Lisa! No husband. No babies. Just me and my little sister in the big city. And even with the pesky skies deciding to be stormy, we had such a fun time. I miss running around with Lisa taking photos. She is and will always be my favorite model. We spent the day on the streets and in the shops of the Lower East Side and East Village, stopping in at a few old favorites and ending with a major pastry purchase from Black Hound Bakery.
Then we went home and consumed boxes and boxes of pastries before she too left for the airport. It was kind of ridiculous. But so, so good.
