A Grouchy German is a Sour Kraut!

So we're now into day nine of our cross-country to the Northwest extravaganza and so far it's been wonderful. Wonderful up until yesterday.

We drove over to Bellevue Square to browse the Apple store. Ok, I don't want comments like: "why didn't you just go to the one by the University? It's closer". I know it is, I like Bellevue. No comments David.

We're hungry so we stroll into the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. I chose the Cheesecake Factory because I find it's everything both right and wrong about the United States all rolled into one. The shear, creative genius of this obscene menu and the absolute gluttony of it. Plus they have beer.

While chowing down on Cuban sandwiches, we're discussing his job situation in Germany and his plans to start looking elsewhere. I casually say "How about Seattle?" Where he looks me right in the eye and says:

"I'm too old to move here".

I'm not quite sure of what happened next as everything seemed to slow down and get very quiet around me. I do remember saying half laughing and half choking "You're too...old?".

We ate our sandwiches, he continued talking about his work as I struggled to breathe. Damnit. He did it in one of my favorite malls too. Asshole.

Three years we've been doing this. Three fucking years. New Jersey was too ugly, Boston was to cold, Maine was too remote. Now, had he just said "Seattle is too rainy" or "I don't like their recycling program" I probably would have fell for it, again, and continued this bizarre long-distance whatever it is we have for another three years. But, "I'm too old to move to Seattle"??? It's a jackass way to say "I don't want to live with you. Ever."

We drove home in silence. He tousled my hair and asked me why I was so quiet, if something was wrong, I seemed sad. A mature person would have taken that opportunity to discuss what was he just said, however, we're talking about me here. So, I smiled and said I was just tired.

Friday I'll put him on a plane back to Munich. I'll give myself the weekend to drink too much wine, cry a lot and eat Ben and Jerry's. Then Monday morning I'll start over again.