home away from home

I get up at 7. Pack. Empty the baskets. Arrange for my doorman to get my mail. Clean the fridge. Give a box of blueberries to my neighbor.  And go to the bank. By 8:30 I'm out the door.

I have an 11:55 flight from JFK to Hyannis. I leave early as there is no way to predict subway delays and check-in lines. 

But this morning there are neither. The subway is fast and I am directed to the expedited security line at check in.  I must look the innocent I am.

And though my carry-on is heavy, I am traveling light.



The three different lines I wait in to get coffee (one to order, one to pick-up, and a third to pay) take twice as long as the entire check-in process.

And still, I am at the gate an hour and forty minutes early.

The flight is short, and I arrive to cloudy, cool weather, having left sunny skies and warm temperatures. My mom greets me, looking closer to Jane Fonda's age than her own.

Unpacking is easy as I've brought little. But I have shipped three boxes, including my old computer, and clothes I no longer wear in New York, but are great for here.

My mom and I eat lobstah rolls for dinner, and then start our summer gin games.

The Cape is a very relaxed place. No make-up and casual clothes are the norm.   Manhattan feels very far away.