Uncle returned today from delivering a boat.

It takes 3.5 weeks to deliver a boat from Maine to the Virgin Islands
in case you were wondering.

The boys missed him terribly.
Uncle missed the boys just as much.
The men in this house give themselves permission to love each other.
I celebrate this quietly.

“UncleDaddy” as Marcel calls him-
Because he is kind of like a daddy, and kind of like an uncle
stuck together. UncleDaddy has dance moves
that Marcel imitates by swinging his hips in a slow circle
and sticking out his lower lip.

In his absence I had two morning drop offs instead of one,
(Uncle is bus stop guy with Sam) and no nights off.

In his absence storms pounded the windows,
and lifted shingles off the roof while I lay on the floor in the boys’ room.
I had only myself to imagine pulling them to safety
if the house shook to the ground.

It’s not like what I imagine you
who might be partnered experience when your other leaves.
Because, I chose this single mama thing.
I do just me well enough and then some.
In a way I dig pulling that superwoman suit out
and placing one boy under each arm as we fly through the universe

just the three of us.

Being a single mama unleashed a magnificent
strength in me. I had to prove to the world that I could do as one,
(what they could as two), and then some.
Then two years later-that I could manage two as one, with ease
and then some.

A soothsayer once said that my job in this
lifetime was to have a long term relationship, because
I have been single for many lives.

She also said I had adopted many times, and
have been adopted too.

Sitting across from my son’s teacher at his conference,
and looking her squarely in the eye
as she says; He is right where he is supposed to be
I take all the pride in the world that I have done my job well.

Walking through the woods, watching them race
over wood chips with laughter
flying in every direction. A brotherhood
echoing through the dry leaves-I see that I have done my job well.

Marcel’s curls in my hand, as I cut his hair
down tight because he wants to short short
hair just like Uncle and Sammy. Music playing,
as Sam sits next to him, reading him a story.
We are doing fine.

Because his watch was on hour off,
Uncle had the boys in bed an hour early when I returned from
ran an errand (being able to run an errand alone after dinner
is an insanely exciting thing for a single mom).
Just like that, two boys almost asleep an hour early.

Did I mention how nice it was to have Uncle back?