Rehearsals for departure

My holiday is now imminent - today I finished work, tomorrow my parents are coming over and in the early hours of Thursday morning we fly out into Malaga before picking up a rental car and driving onwards to Nerja, onwards to the sun. I'm really looking forward to the holiday, to kicking back and relaxing, to spending quality time with my parents, to endless days of warm sunshine (I've checked the weather forecast - it's wall to wall sunshine and temperatures bordering 30 degrees), to cooling off in the pool and sea, to warm nights filled with fine food, brandy and laughter, to just forgetting about everything and enjoying myself. Well, forgetting about most things................

The pre-holiday schedule is just about complete, the last couple of nights have seen me busy packing the suitcase, making sure all the essentials are with me - underwear, clothing, footwear, toiletries, toothbrush, sunscreen, after-sun, beach towels, sunglasses and on and on - you know the score. But it's kept my mind occupied and not allowed it to stray to other thoughts. Now there's just one final point on my checklist to tick, the best has been saved until last and is one of the things I will not be forgetting about whilst I'm away. 

Tonight I'll be seeing my boyfriend for the final time until I return from my holiday and the thought of knowingly being apart for a week has made me quite emotional; I think, tonight will be kind of difficult. I don't know, I just feel such mixed emotions regarding it all - happy and sad all at the same time and I think it will make me kind of hesitant, something I very rarely am with him these days. It's a weird feeling, it will be the first time we've been so far apart since we got together and no matter how much I want to see him during my holiday it just isn't going to happen. I know we will survive, I know it's only seven days and I know will speak on the phone - it's just the thought of it bearing down on me right now. 

That said I think it's good that I will miss him because it speaks so much of what he means to me and, without wishing to sound dismissive, I also think it will not be as bad as the thoughts in my head are suggesting. We've not seen each other for a week or so in the past, it's just the distance we'll be apart that is playing tricks with my mind. 

So we're heading out for a few beers tonight and boyfriend is staying over until the morning, until work intervenes, until distance sees us apart. If I can ask a favour of you dear readers - promise to keep my boyfriend in your thoughts, as I will, until I return, please? To know you're all thinking of him will help put my mind at ease and hopefully make our time apart much more bearable. Rehearsals for departure - Damien, I know exactly what you mean.............