Esti
The trip to New York was a long one. Even before the eight-hour flight, the planning and logistics of the move had started months before we even set foot in the airport. In fact it started almost immediately after Daniel's birthday, the ending of which still made me feel awful. Ronit and I smoothed over the difficulty with a surprising ease, though my stomach sunk whenever I recalled it. After I let her in, when I let my emotional barriers fall, we talked for hours; we talked until the sun started glimmering through the curtains, despite the fact we were both exhausted, and that she'd had too much to drink. She touched me and I touched her, it was soft and freeing, emotive and liberating. It reminded me of when we were teenagers; staying up late, talking of deep emotions, then moving onto light inane chatter, we were discovering each other again. I'd even been reminded of her tired eyes; when she stayed up for long enough, she'd get a pinkish line along her eyelids and the whites of her eyes would turn glassy and shimmer. I hadn't seen that since we were girls.
'You've got your tired eyes on.' I said, stroking her hair behind her ear. In the blue, dim light of the bedroom, her features were blurry but still perfect.
'Well, that's ridiculous.' She said, her voice groggy with fatigue and alcohol. 'I feel like I could run a marathon.'
We laughed and snoozed until Leah started gurgling over the baby monitor, then I woke up and tended to her. During one of Leah's naps later in the day and while Daniel was busying himself with his new toys, I watched Ronit sleep. She was still the Ronit I'd fallen in love with as a girl, the same spontaneous, rebellious girl I adored, but in a way, she was someone else. She was a woman now, a woman that I'd fallen in love with in completely new ways; a supportive wife, a provider, an incredible mother to our children. I suppose to some extent, there were still things we were to unearth about each other. Twenty years of catching up might take another twenty years of being together. A thrum of excitement lit up inside me then; twenty years with Ronit. A smile spread across my face as she let out a quiet snore.
'Did you get the passports?' Ronit barked from the doorway as I buckled Daniel into the rental car. The day had come and we were finally leaving; the sun was starting to set, which was meaningful to me, though I'm not sure Ronit had thought about it.
'They're all in my bag.' I said, turning to face her. She was wearing black jeans that clung to her legs in their entirety, from thigh to ankle, she was also wearing black boots and a leather jacket that made me feel overwhelmed and flustered if I looked at her for too long.
'And the tickets?' She asked.
'All on my phone.' I replied.
'And you've got the baby? We've not left her in the cot again?' She laughed and readjusted her handbag over her shoulder.
'Both babies firmly in the car.' I said with a grin, closing the car door; Daniel was already playing on his portable games console and Leah was gurgling to herself. I took several steps towards Ronit, who was locking our front door for the last time. 'It's so strange.' I said, touching the small of her back, the cool leather felt refreshing under my fingertips.
She nodded briskly and put her arm around my shoulders. 'It is.' She agreed. 'Saying goodbye to our first house.'
'It's... it's sad.'
She nodded again. 'It is sad... but we're onto our second house now. That's exciting.'
'It is exciting.' I leaned up and we kissed for a moment. 'Do you remember the first time we saw this flat?' I asked, feeling a grin creep along my face.
'I do, I do.' Ronit said, taking my hand and leading me down the steps. 'I remember your face when I asked you to move in, clear as day. I also remember the lovely Anita showing us round.'
