The Day's Beginning

Tomorrow is Aibou Day, and I can't help but be damned curious about what Marlie will do.

I know what I'm doing.

I'll take her for breakfast to Manhatten Bagel, where we'll pick up a plain bagel for breakfast (she loves them plain, I don't know how she does it). Then we'll go get our ears pierced at a nearby place. We have them pierced with one hole in each each lobe, but we decided earlier this summer to get another piercing for shock value. I think I'm getting this kind of piercing. I want to be able to put a little ring around the outside of my ear. If I know Marlie- and I do- she'll definitely be less adventurous and just opt for a second pair of holes behind her first two, which is fine.

After this, I'm going to produce a list of recipes that I searched out. They're extremely specific recipes. Each one is incredibly low fat, has no milk/butter/dairy products of any kind, and are yummy-sounding. I'll make her pick something to make, and we'll drive to the market and pick something to make together.

We haven't cooked together in a while and I know I'll miss it in what's apparently just down to a week or so until she leaves. When we cook, it's absolutely gorgeous. My sister, as I explained in earlier postings, has mental problems but she can be unusually perceptive. Once, when we were cooking, she called us planets. Bemused, I asked her to explain, and she said, "Because you revolve around each other. You're sensitive to each other. When she moves, you move. When she leans one way, you lean toward her to fix the balance. You're like planets."

And it does make an odd kind of sense. When we cook together, it's in perfect harmony. We're content not to talk and instead to listen to music. It's a playlist of our favorites, so we dance, spin around, and generally be silly while being productive at the same time. I pass her an egg, she cracks it. She hands me the flour, I pour. I give her the spoon, she stirs. Like my sister said, planets. Or plain, simple chemistry: action and reaction.

Today, I found a song in my inbox from Marlie. It's by Keane, a favorite of ours, and it's called Atlantic. It's perfect.

I need a place
that's hidden in the deep
where lonely angels sing you to your sleep
the modern world is broken.

I need a place
where I can make my bed
a lover's lap where I can lay my head
cause now the room is spinning.

The day's beginning...