Key Distraction

For the past few weeks Dan has been preoccupied with work. Employee reviews, trying to spend capitol dollars before year-end, wrapping up several big projects, etc. So preoccupied that his usual "Holy Cow--Key West is XXX days away!" e-mails I'd get every day last year vanished months ago. But his mood is lifting in fits and starts. The costumes are ready, the condo key will be in the lock box when we get there, our roomies will do the grocery shopping on the way down so food, beer and wine will be ready on arrival. I just need Dan to focus on the Keys. Just think about the Keys. The work stuff will pass. The Keys are right around the corner.

This morning I got another snarly cell phone call as Dan left one meeting on the road to another. I continued to type, interjecting a "Yes dear" and "I understand" and "That's terrible" as appropriate. "Dan, think about the Keys!" 

That rant finished, I went back to work. 30 minutes later he called back, apologetic, and with a better tone. The first night in Key West is a little black dress party. I have several, and I asked Dan to look through my closet, and if he didn't find exactly what he was looking for, we'd go shopping tonight. (He won't find the perfect dress, of course, because I'll reject them all.) His mood brightened noticeably at that prospect (Dan loves to act as my personal shopper). "Well, I just pulled into work--gotta go!" he announced. I hung up. 

Two minutes later my phone rang again. "Um, guess what?" a sheepish Dan asked.

It took me almost two hours to drive from Glendale to Waukesha and back to Glendale today. I had to unlock Dan's car. Clearly he was not thinking about the keys when he got out and locked the door. But based on where I know his mind was, I think he's moving into full-on Keys vacation mode.