Mom was so reluctant to see Amber and me leave that she insisted on a prolonged photoshoot outside as we were walking out the door. I hated to leave too; the family was going to be there for the rest of the week and I was going to schlep back to work after dropping Amber off in Murfreesboro. The drive back was easy enough, even if I did have to drive into the sunset the entire time (which is half as pleasant as it sounds). I bid Amber adieu at her mother’s house and arrived home after 10 to a door that would not honor my newly made spare key. Dazed, I trekked over to Zach’s — my catsitter — to retrieve my original set and found the house full of people doing crafts and shit. I must have looked like a psycho (moreso than usual) to them. Blank-eyed and on the verge of exhaustion tears, which came when I finally got in the car with my working keys.
The cats were happy to see me — to see anybody, I’m sure — and I have pretty much forgotten everything else about the remainder if that evening.