On the Day You Slept

On the day you slept, your Dad and I recreated our first date from waaaaay back in September 2000. I know, you can’t fathom anyone ever living that long ago.

On the day you slept, we drove down to the Bay, bought our tickets, and boarded a ferry to Coronado Island. We had some extra cargo this trip.

On the day you slept, we sat in a special part of the ferry where they stash parents with strollers. No going upstairs to the cuddle in the open air this time! That’s OK, we liked hanging out with you.

On the day you slept, we ate lunch at a yummy restaurant (different from the one a decade ago; that one closed down). This year, the World Cup was on, and we watched Paraguay lose to Spain. Your Dad wanted the other team to win so a non-European powerhouse could represent in the semifinals.

On the day you slept, we had to wake you up because I really needed to nurse you. Guess what happened then? You promptly fell asleep.

On the day you slept, your Dad and I strolled with you along the streets of Coronado, under the warm sun. A decade ago, we talked about past relationships, our career goals, and our parents. This year, we had something a bit different to talk about.

We also showed you pretty overpriced houses decked in Fourth of July flourishes. We thought this decoration pretty much summed up what the residents of Coronado feel about the USA. America, fuck yeah.

On the day you slept, we let you feel the wind and smell the flowers. We tried to remember the words to Billy Joel’s “Lullaby” and sung the words we knew to you. We looked forward to all the wonderful walks we would take as a family.

On the day you slept, we spoke about how in love we were with each other and how in love we were with you, our beautiful sleeping boy.