Leaving

In the time it takes the kettle to boil, "Leaving on a Jet Plane" could play through in it's entirety. The song was written by a man who died in a plane crash. The irony isn't lost on me. A folk singing Icarus without a license to fly. Is that too crass, too soon?

Maybe if he would have stayed he could have written something better. Something catchier. Maybe Peter, Paul, and Mary wouldn't have broken up the same year they aborted the lunar landing of the Apollo 13. Another crisis that could have been averted if people could have been content to stay in one place. Sometimes it's better not to shove off. Sometimes it's better to keep your feet on land. But, she's the one who's leaving. I'm the one helping her pack her things. She's the one with the flight to catch. I'm the one driving her there. She says she hates saying goodbye, but I'm the one watching her go.

In the time it takes me to steep her tea you could listen to the album version of "She's Gone". But I don't like Hall and Oates, and she doesn't take her tea that strong. The radio version is closer to the steeping time the package recommends. The box says the company was founded in the same year as the War of the Spanish Succession, so who am I to disagree? They've been around since the Treaty of Union between England and Scotland. I'm not sure I'll make it through the day.

She's not gone yet, she reminds me, as she moves her luggage closer to the door. She's the one succeeding. I'm the one bargaining, hoping for a more perfect union, offering an accord. She's the one with a boarding pass, preparing a carry-on. I'm the one trying to carry on, while stirring milk into her tea.

In the time it takes to drive to the Airport you could listen to "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" almost sixteen times. But, that sounds like something a crazy person would do, not a rational and reserved person like me. Not anymore, not again.

Paul Simon was never the same without Art Garfunkel, in my opinion. Garfunkel without him wasn't quite right either, to be fair. They should have stayed together. They should have listed out 50 ways they could have made it work. But they didn’t. Like a burning bridge over troubled water, they broke-up the same year as the Beatles.

"All You Need is Love" is a better song choice. In the time it takes to drive to the airport we could listen to that one around 14 times. Crazy or romantic? It's difficult to say. It's a better sentiment, to be sure. But it's hard to believe when you're driving you significant other to the airport for a job interview.

If I had a dollar for each of Simon's 50 ways from each of the extended plays, I'd spend it all on one good reason to make her stay. It still wouldn't replace an annual income. It wouldn't make a difference. Things would still be the same. She's the one with places to go, a job to do, a ladder to climb. I'm the one standing still, stuck in place, biding my time. She's the one on the runway, always having to runaway. Always leaving.

I'm the one driving home.

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