People

And their reactions to my move can be quite disconcerting and revelatory. It puts the seal on my brilliant idea to move from New Jersey to some other state, in this case, and by pure lack of other choices except ones imposed upon me, to Arizona. From New Jersey.

Mom moved out first. We put her in a smaller apartment. When I say "we", I had nothing to do with the decision. I was helping the majority's decisions. Two against one.

I lived ten years in the same house with my mother, in New Jersey. For my friends that is a medal winning accomplishment. For me, it is a miracle. For if I had any low self esteem before that, I don't find any traces of it now. Watch out.

Don't say things like "you will miss her." Give me a break. I am still here, in between these boxes, in between her and my furniture we will be leaving behind. What part of ten years you do not understand? Actually, now that I am counting properly, it has been 11 years.

I am happy to announce that it is the longest I have stayed in any one place if we don't count the house where I was born in Beirut.

Some make it more dramatic. My cousine calls from France while mom was still packing "you are going to come home, open the door, she is not there. What are you going to do?"

Just what does that mean exactly? Can someone explain that to me? As if I asked mom to leave and now I have to live with the consequences? That's what I am hearing here. Can you ask me a question please? For example, do I feel liberated?

Yes, I do.