Inevitably Apart

Poor Dave is miserable.

He's spent the last week away from his wife and children, and stands to spend another week on his own before he returns to the states on January 21st.

Most of our friends have a comparable set-up. The mother and the children spend about 6 weeks in the states at some point during the year. The husband spends about 2 weeks in the states, flies back to Shanghai to work and live alone for a few weeks, and then rushes back the states to accompany the family back home.

The ironic part about the establishment is that both of us envy the other.

Our family social life circles around my friends, so Dave's connections are primarily the husbands of my friends... rather than simply his friends. Dave has assignments and keeps busy, but spends most of his time eating cheap Chinese food and running the treadmill before heading off to work and home again. He's lonely.

Myself, on the other hand, I'm craving a few simple moments to myself. The girls sleep in the same room as me. Our room is in my parents' house. I am rarely in a room by myself, even when I am sleeping. And although I enjoy the company of each and every person living with me right now, two weeks alone sounds like heaven to me.

Unfortunately, neither of us is able to console the other. We've no sympathy for our spouse's troubles.