One of the things that inevitably happens when we take a long trip is that I don’t get to see much of our son. Most of the time this would be because of my job as the driver, eyes fixated on the road, while he sits in the back. It is painful to not be able to interact with him on such a drive (our long drives are 15 hours straight). I never knew how much I appreciated that minimal contact, though, until we were moving. With his aunt coming down to help us pack (and, thankfully, ride back in the vehicle with them), I was placed in the driver’s seat of a rental truck to be driven (at great monetary and personal expense) across the country. When my wife and I originally made our way down to Texas we drove in separate vehicles. The difference was that we didn’t have any children that time. Now we do. Big difference!
So I stared ahead at the car in front of my for fifteen hours. I looked ahead (probably up to a mile or two at times) at the car that carried our son, was driven by my wife, and also filled with my sister-in-law. When we did stop for gas (more frequent than usual with the big truck) I was able to (ever so briefly) hold our son. It was a great feeling to see him. He, of course, had little idea of what was happening (or, perhaps, I’m underestimating his understanding). For him it was a surprise to suddenly see Dad at the gas station each time we stopped. While it wasn’t a surprise for me, we both ended up smiling at one another. He was happy to see me. That felt good. No wonder it was the easiest long drive I’ve ever done.