Mindsin - pt. 5 (back to basics)

[mindsin]

New GAL activity, dinner with my W, and visiting her old company

This morning, I decided to sign up for ballroom dancing lessons. I wanted to partake in a GAL activity that was completely out of character for me. Ballroom dancing would be it. I e-mailed my W to let her know that I'll be out this Thursday night for a couple of hours. She said "No problem".

I work as an IT consultant, and today I visited her old company (the one she worked at for the majority of her career, and just left a year ago). Her old company is a client of ours and I was there to do some back-end systems work. It was kind of surreal walking through that building, and I passed by the office where my W used to be located. I remembered the days I visited her at the office, and the lunches we had in the cafeteria. I walked by the "mother's room" and thought of all the hours my W spent in there pumping breast milk for our 1st born.

After I left work, I did some light grocery shopping, then picked up the kids and went home.

While at my in-laws' house to get the kids, my FIL spoke to me briefly about his talk with my W last Friday. He basically said that she told him that she is a grown woman and is capable of making her own decisions. She indicated that she wants to figure things out on her own, and doesn't need pressure from them, or me, or anyone else. When my FIL asked her what she has planned for the future, she simply said she doesn't know. She made no mention of divorce.

When I got home, I made dinner, while my kids played upstairs. I texted my W about the package of brussel sprouts on the kitchen counter, and she said that she bought those for me. I said that I will cook the steak and the brussel sprouts for the side veggies. She said she will not be eating them, because she hates brussel sprouts.

I tried a new recipe for the brussel sprouts (pan fried) and I thought they came out great. I cooked the steaks medium rare, just the way my W and I like it. I poured two glasses of red wine (she always has a glass @ dinner), set the table, and she came home shortly afterwards, changed, then sat at the table.

We started talking about various things. She asked me how my day at work went, and I told her about my interesting day. This is the first time she asked me about my day at work since my very 1st day at my new job (which was on Oct 1st). I'm sure much of it was because I was at her old company which was quite an interesting situation in of itself. She asked if I ran into some of her former co-workers, which I'm acquainted to. We then talked about the exercise program that she is doing. I'm a fitness buff, so I know a lot about nutrition, health, etc. She always asks me for my opinion on things related to nutrition and fitness.

She then asked me where I'm going Thursday night. I simply said, "I'll tell you later".

She responded, "Are you going on a date"?

I shook my head and said, "No".

Then she asked, "Where are you going on Sunday"? I previously told her (about 2 weeks ago), that I'm going to an event from 12:30 to 4:30. At the time, she didn't ask me where I was going. She only said "You're free to do whatever you want that day". But now she seems interested. I told her that a friend from work is hosting a football viewing party and a chili cook-off. She seemed quite surprised when I told her that I'll be making my own chili. This is something that she'd typically do, since she makes a killer beef chili. I don't know if she's surprised that I didn't ask her to make it for this Sunday, or if she was surprised that I'm actually going to make it (I'm a lousy cook).

In hindsight, maybe I should have kept Sunday's events from her as well, or maybe I should have just told her I signed up for ballroom dancing lessons. I didn't say because it would typically be something we'd take together. I don't know. She may possibly be thinking why Thursday night is a "secret" but Sunday isn't. Oh well. Too late now.

After dinner, I was playing and being silly with my 3-yo daughter. We held hands and danced together while mom was watching TV with her glass of wine. My son was doing his homework, then playing with his legos. I then brought the two of them upstairs to take a bath. After the bath, my daughter went to read with her mom in her bedroom, while I read with my son in the master bedroom. This has been our typical sleeping arrangement for months.