Sunday, June 15, 2014

Calista's Diary Entry - Summer Separation

Dear Diary,

Since we had so many snow days this year, we had to make up some of that time at the end of this school year.  For a while I felt like the school year would never end, and I was so anxious to start my summer.  If I had known then what I know now, I would have been happy to spend the extra days in school.

Bob told me that he needed to talk to me, so I met him in the hallway after class.

He told me that he wanted to talk about what was happening this summer, and I was excited, thinking that he wanted to make plans to hang out together.  Instead, he gave me the upsetting news that he is going away this summer.  He told me that he was leaving for a vacation with his family the day after the last day of school, then boy scout camp, then sleepaway camp.  Sleepaway camp?  Really???

I asked him how long he would be gone, and he told me that he would be gone almost the entire summer.  What???  My shock and my unhappiness must have shown on my face.  Bob took me by the hand and told me that it would be okay, and that the time would fly by.  No it won't!  I'm used to seeing Bob almost every single day.  I look forward to seeing Bob.  A summer without him seems like an eternity!

I asked him how long he's known about this, and he told me that he's known for a few weeks.  Weeks???  My sadness quickly turned to anger as I asked him why he didn't tell me.  He told me that he thought for a long time about whether or not to tell me, and he said that he did not want me to be upset for that amount of time, and that he just wanted us to enjoy ourselves at school, on the field trip, and just hanging out.  I said that he should have told me!  Bob gave me a big hug.

He apologized for upsetting me, and told me that he really thought that he was doing the right thing.  He asked me if I had enjoyed the time that I've spent with him over the last few weeks, and I said yes.  He asked me if I would have enjoyed it as much if I had known that he would be gone for the summer.  I said that I probably would have been upset the entire time.  He gave me a kiss on the cheek.

Bob put his arm around my shoulders and smiled at me, and he tried to get me to smile, too.  I didn't feel much like smiling, but I tried.

He told me that he needed to see that smile, and needed to know that everything was okay, and that I wasn't going to stay mad at him for 3 months.  I told him I'd see him later.

I stood there and watched him walk away.  I wanted to just grab him and ask him a million and one questions.  I am so confused and angry and hurt and disappointed.  I did not grab him, I did not tell him everything that was on my mind, I just watched him walk away.  And when he was out of sight, my feelings erupted.

You just don't know how long I've been wanting him to hug me again, and to hold my hand again.  I've really wanted him to kiss my cheek.  But all this affection, what does it even mean?  He's leaving!  Is that good-bye?  Is that how he says see you later to his buddies?  I hate this uncertainty so much!  He didn't even say that he'd call while he was away.  He didn't say much of anything!

What it all comes down to is that I really care about him a lot, and now I have to prepare myself to be without him.

16 comments:

  1. Calista, I am so sorry you wont be able to spend the summer with Bob . Sign up for some classes and camps too if it isn't too late! Then you and Bob will have a lot to talk about in the fall!

    LOVING THAT VIDEOOOOOOOOOOO! You did it girl! :-D

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    1. Thank you The grandmommy for your comments on the video!

      Calista writes: "Thank you Ms. Grandmommy for your suggestions. I do want to have things to talk about when Bob gets back. I'm having trouble thinking of classes that I would want to take during the summer, though. Summer classes should be fun. As for camp, it would have to be an indoor air conditioned camp for me."

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  2. I'm with Calista, I would have wanted to be told as soon as he knew. We could have been having special times together, doing whatever to create memories and whatnots. Time to process, you know? Instead, he's all, "So this is happening... bye."

    That video was fantastic! I liked the heck out of it on YouTube. I enjoyed the singing, the action shots, the stills... everything! Well done! *clap clap clap*

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    1. Muff, thank you so much for you complimentary comments about my video! I agree with Calista too, but I can see Bob's point because I'm the type of person that would spend too much time dreading the upcoming separation, and that would negatively impact the remaining time together.

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  3. Hello from Spain: I understand the sadness of Calista. Bob had to tell before. great pics. Keep in touch

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    1. Hi Marta! Hopefully Calista will be able to relieve her sadness with some fun activities this summer.

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  4. Love it. I follow your blog and hope you will want to follow mine at http://wwwthebarbiechronicles.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you KMQ! I've visited your blog before, and I hate to admit it but I can't figure out how to follow your blog. I don't see a Join This Site icon or anything like that.

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  5. Congratulations on the video! Lots of great costumes, especially the cardigans with the argyle strips. I was always jealous of your Bob Scout but a couple of months ago I found one for a very good price on eBay. I can't wait to play with him when I get back from Senegal. I hope Bob and Callista will be able to cope with the separation and come back stronger than ever.

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    1. Hi limbe dolls! I have missed your posts! Thanks so much for your comments about my video. I'm so glad that you were able to get Bob Scout for your collection. I hope that you will post photos of your play time with him. :)

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  6. Awww, poor Calista. I feel so sorry for her. I am sure Bob meant well, but he should have let her know he would be away for practically the entire summer.

    I also enjoyed the video and the vocals! Great job!

    dbg

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    1. Thank you Debbie! I think that Bob meant well, too. Hopefully in the future he will learn that it's better to be forthcoming with upsetting information sooner rather than later.

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  7. Clapping! Love the video and the vocals. Yay, Roxanne! Thanks for sharing.

    Dear Calista,

    I would have been angry at Bob, too. Then again, if you had known, you would have missed the fun.

    Soooo ... here's a different perspective for you to consider. Do you think Bob enjoyed the time he spent with you? I think he did. Guess what that means? He is going to miss YOU. Uh huh. He's a guy. Guy's won't say that kind of thing. They're too busy being "cool." If he weren't so concerned about your feelings, he'd probably be upset on his own account.

    Soooo ... what to do? Plan on having a lot of fun. Ask your folks if you can take a summer class - dance? - or try something new and document it. Let it be your "See What You Missed, Bob" document. Maybe post updates online, if you have a FB account. You can have tons of stuff to share when he gets back.

    That might seem hard to do now. Give it some thought though. Bob's a great guy, but even the best of guys need to know that you can have fun without them as well as with them. If you don't do it for yourself at first, do it for him. Uh huh. Remind him of what a fun, cool, together girl you are.

    He might come home sooner or even if he doesn't, you'll have fun stuff to share when he does return.

    I wish you a happy and event-filled summer!

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    1. Thanks so much D7ana! As always, it was fun.

      Calista writes: "Dear Ms. D7ana, thank you so much for your thoughtful letter. It's hard to imagine having a fun summer right now. I feel like I'm dealing with so much. First I get kicked off of the JSQ, and now this.

      Can I tell you something, just between you and me? I don't think I realized how strongly I feel about Bob until this happened. I surprised myself at how upset I became. Does that make any sense? I agree with you that he is a great guy, but I feel so scared on the inside that I 'm just being crazy and that he doesn't feel the same way.

      Dance class is actually a really good suggestion. I like dancing and I already miss being on the JSQ. Maybe I could take up jazz or modern dance. I think there may be some classes at the Y that I can take. Thanks again."

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    2. My pleasure, Roxanne! You inspired me to create my FIRST YouTube video. Uh huh. Me. Course I do NO singing - I kinda hope folks will enjoy it. Alas, I do not have a good singing voice. I cannot even muster up a good scream - I was quite good at screaming when I was a child. Hollering as I raced up and down and around the neighborhood.

      Dear Calista - you are welcome. I wish you the best. You've been having a rough Spring; let's hope you'll have a better Summer. I have a distant memory of intense feelings during my teen years. Years ago. Feeling strongly means you're alive. Your parents and friends can help you work through those feelings. Guys have strong feelings, but they are trained to NOT show that. Bob might not know how much he misses you until he's away. Then, wham. It'll hit him: he misses you.

      Maybe your JSQ days had to end so that you could embrace dance. You might be your generation's Judith Jamison.

      Looking forward to hearing how your Summer progresses.

      Sincerely,
      Dana

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    3. I enjoyed your video very much, D7ana! I feel good that I inspired you, because you've inspired me so much over the years. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your videos.

      Calista writes: "Thank you, Ms. D7ana. I hope that he will miss me. I'll figure out something to do this summer, and I'll keep writing."

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