The last of the hardwood floor was laid today, and it looks so great. I am so proud of the work (though I had nothing to do with it except for moving around furniture one room at a time). Now I just have to think about bathtub and dishwasher repair. I also have to find a sack of money to pay to repair those two things.
H texted this morning, which made me happy. I've been doing most of the texting lately, and I know that he's appreciated that. However, he initiated it today to talk about a movie trailer he'd seen.
He also texted this evening with some silliness (I welcomed the silliness) and then asked if he could come by to get some mail. I agreed that he could come by. I had the door open so that he could come on in, which he did. He knew that the back doors were being replaced this week but didn't know the floors were going in yet. [I wanted it to be a surprise.] He was blown away by it. He walked around the downstairs a few times just taking it all in.
He gave me one of those long squeezy hugs, and I just melted right into it and squeezed back (a 180 from what I'd been doing since the separation). I said, "You look great." He responded, "So do you." [This is the first time this has happened since the separation!] He sat and chatted for a good while and then said he would get back to his mother's (exhausted after a long, stressful day). We both stood, and he gave me an even tighter and longer hug. He took a deep breath (smelling my hair? gathering his strength?) as we hugged, and I close-lipped kissed his neck (another 180 for me). He hung on for a few moments longer after this. As he was leaving, he said, "I'll talk to you this weekend." This is different from many of our last partings. Since the separation, he has said, "I'll see you/talk to you soon." I hope this is a good difference!
Several minutes after he left, he texted, "The house looks great. U should be very happy." I responded that I was very happy and that the changes were long overdue. [Recall that he was overwhelmed by the house and felt like it had not changed since we moved in here. Maybe too much like my mother had had it.] I also said that I was glad to see him. He responded, "Thanks, it was good to see u too." Ha! What a huge improvement! He hasn't said/texted anything like that since he's been gone.
I will take these small victories as they come, but I also have to remember not to get too hopeful or confident yet. I am happier tonight than I've been in a while. I have some great home improvements, and I feel good about another week of interactions with H. I am very ready for the weekend so that I can rest, rearrange my furniture, and vacuum all the sawdust from the new flooring. Boxer dog and I have had the sneezes for several days now.
