Keeping the home fires burning

My husband just walked into the dining room with a filled plastic grocery bag. He plopped it on the chair with a smack.

"What is that," I asked.

"My snacks," he replied. "For the trip."

My husband, The Coach, is leaving me tomorrow. For real.

He and his team are heading up north -- north Louisiana, that is -- for their first business trip of the season. It's the first big baseball tournament of the season and an annual event. It's good competition, a well-run tournament and, he says, a nice bonding experience for the boys.

They have a nice 5-hour bus ride ahead of them, starting in the morning, then games Thursday night, Friday night and all day Saturday before another 5-hour bus ride home. If it doesn't rain. But it's supposed to. Then get cold on Sunday (if they have to postpone things a day).

So I'm sitting here watching out of the corner of my eye as he packs his bag. His uniforms. His socks. His underwear. His hats. His rain gear and his big jacket.

And his snacks.

His daughter and I are staying home. It is Mardi Gras weekend, after all.

So he will ride off tomorrow and I will stay here. And worry.

Is that bus road ready? Are all the tires properly inflated?

Is that driver drug tested? Is he getting enough sleep tonight? Or is he out on a Mardi Gras bender before he leaves town for the weekend?

And how is his driving record?

Now, I consider myself a modern woman of the 21st Century. I am very self-sufficient -- which you have to be in order to be a coach's wife. I can fix things, move things, take care of things. I have my own hobbies and interests. I don't need a man to get by.

And I have big plans for this weekend.

But I worry about me too. About us. About things going wrong while he's far away. What if the washing machine explodes or the toilet backs up? What if my car won't start or I get a flat tire?

What if I fall down the stairs and break my leg?

Not that he would know what to do if any of these situations arose. But it is rather comforting to know that your life partner is right there with you saying, "WTF?"

He certainly does what he can to make sure I'm taken care of before he goes. He rushed to the store this evening to make sure I had enough coffee and dog food for the weekend.

But he's taking all the snacks with him.