The Last Goodbye
Monique | Monday, April 25, 2011 at 10:31AM I've heard it said that you don't fit in to Seattle. Seattle fits you instead.
The scene is so diverse, you're bound to find a collection of individuals, a neighborhood, a niche that suits you so perfectly, you feel at home.
Four years, and two children ago, we arrived here on a day that was as gloomy as ever.
I remember each moment perfectly, I'll never forget them.
After 6 days of driving and wanting to murder the family travelling with us, seeing the "Seattle" sign was a triumph of gigantic proportions.
Christian and I had wanted to move here. The rain, the music, the weird. But not having Samara was never in our plans, not anything we'd foreseen.
Unequivocally, she is, and has been, the missing piece to our family puzzle. We're not whole without her, I'm not whole.
We tried to make bi-coastal parenting work, and there are no words to tell you how horribly we failed, how much it sucks.
Being in North Carolina means the girl has us and we have her. When my child reaches out for me, I can embrace her. It means I'm not close enough to throat punch anyone when I feel the desire {approximately every 3 minutes}. It means we have to start over in a place we never considered, in a place we're unsure about, a place that may not fit us.
But we are determined to make it our home.
Seattle, it hasn't always been a blast, yet I thank you.
I hate local bands more than ever, but I will never complain about a bus being 5 minutes late, since I've waited for yours for over an hour on more than one occasion. You've completely ruined dogs for me, but I'll never complain about how you've restored my faith in humanity - every time someone does something nice for us I weep out of shock and gratefulness.
Your locals can be assholes and completely unfriendly - which endears me to them and also makes me want to shake them.
In fact, some old lady deliberately got in the way of my stroller the other day, so I lightly rammed a wheel into her ankle. And when she gave me a snarky look, I combated it with one of my own, one that blatantly said "I win, tourist. Eat it!"
You taught me that, thank you.
I giggled at your hipsters, your ninjas, your zombies until one day the words "There are more pirates out than usual. Must be an event or something." slipped out just as naturally as my breath.
You taught me to expect the unexpected.
I won't forget the day Christian and I stood in the "Ethnic Food" aisle in Wal Mart, and while Christian bitched about how not all Hispanics are Mexican, I discovered the condiment that would change our lives forever. "Honey, there's a cock on this bottle." were the words I used and we snickered about it until we brought it home where we learned it was no laughing matter.
You taught me to respect the cock Sriracha.
Once I saw a postcard featured on Postsecret that said something along the lines of "We just tell you it rains a lot because we don't want you to move here."
It's true.
I remember having a conversation with someone I didn't particularly care for, who had asked me about Seattle. It was on a list of places she was considering moving to.
In a panic as scenes of having to accommodate her brand of annoyance flashed through my mind, I told her "It rains a lot."
Last night, I fell asleep to the sounds of your pounding rain.
It stilled the heart that aches for my daughter.
We'll leave on a day much like the one we arrived on.
Reader Comments (6)
Have a very safe trip, and enjoy your stay in North Carolina! Maybe one day you can return to Seattle. *hugs*
We intend to visit, just hopefully not when we're old enough to get run over by crazies with strollers. :) Thank you!
Have a wonderful and safe move. You never know when you may come back but hopefully your new home is just as great as the last.
Ahhhhh you crack me up!! Have a safe move hon!!
Have a safe trip! I hope your new home is great! I hope the trip over there (with a vehicle full of kids) doesnt drive you bonkers or anything! I especially like your quote..
"We just tell you it rains a lot because we don't want you to move here."
It rains a ton where I live too. I'm gonna have to use this line on people too... It's fabulous!
Hi! Stopping by from MBC. Great blog.
Have a nice day!