Bound by desire...

I generally don't write about my personal life much. You all know I'm married (same man, 30 years and counting) and that I have two children. You know I spent a lot of my time writing my novels in the car waiting for them to finish with dance lessons, basketball and baseball practices, cross country runs and other Mommy-taxi duties all mothers perform.

What you also know is that children grow up. My daughter's twenty-one now and a December grad from college. Because she took several college courses in high school, she was able to graduate a semester early. As a theatre major, however, we've been a little worried about her ability to get a job in this economic downturn the US is in. We envisioned months of her home as she sent out resumes and went on interviews for jobs in tech theatre (Her dream job is stage managing. Specifically stage managing for Cirque du Soleil). After all, it's mid-season for most companies and most hiring is done in the spring and summer for next season.

But she's good at what she does. Very good. Her resume so impressed the people at a company in a large city just 50 miles from here that they thought of her when they needed a mid-season replacement for someone who was leaving. She interviewed earlier this week, they told her there were other interviews yet to be held and she'd know by next week.

And then they called this Thursday past and asked if she could start that night.

Thus the whirlwind was put in motion. In the past three days, she's started working a real job in a real theatre for real money. Part of her pay is a room, rent-free, in a house the company owns. It ain't pretty (furnished somewhere between early garage sale and theatre-set rejects) and I'm more than a little worried about the section of the city she's in, but my little girl is calling a show tonight as a professional production and stage manager. I'm so proud of her!

Of course, that means tonight her bedroom here at home is empty. We moved her today. My son is at work and my husband and I just keep wandering from one room to another. He finally settled in his recliner watching Family Guy and Seinfeld re-runs, I've been sitting at my computer watching NCIS episodes, avoiding the emptiness. She's not off at college -- she's begun her life. And while I'm thrilled and excited for her, I also miss her something awful.

Love to you all,
a maudlin Diana