My precious boys arrived back on Kwajalein today! On an atoll, there’s usually just enough space on the runway for the plane to land, and you certainly don’t have the luxury of having a jet way carrying you from the door of the plane to the inside of the terminal as we really don’t have a terminal, just a holding room where you are debriefed by the police department, scan your badge to record that you’ve returned on island, and it’s back out into the hot sun to wait for your luggage. Usually, I arrive early enough to wait on the bleachers behind the fence at the end of the runway, but today it was rainy, and the plane landed a bit earlier than most days. That means I missed watching the passengers deplane into the bright sunshine, down the steps, and into the holding area, so I waited in the outdoor hallway by the 2 big, black windowless doors for them to come out.
There was a flurry of people waiting for loved ones, co-workers, and friends of all ages. This was the “teacher” flight, as in “half the teachers are arriving home from summer vacations” for school beginning on Tuesday, so there were several hugs and “welcome backs” to hand out before my own babies appeared in the doorway. Even if it’s only been a week or two, I always feel like they’ve changed so much when they come back from a trip, and today was no different. They seem to have grown, and it was so nice to feel the soft skin of their cheeks next to mine and to see their shy grins upon seeing me.
They really do grow up so fast. In just a couple of months, they will turn seven and nine years old, and in just a couple of days, they will start first and third grade. It’s been hard for me to let go and let them have their independence over the last couple of years, but it is time, and their maturity over the last year has proven that. After a brief reunion and some milkshakes at the snack bar, I sent them back home, so I could catch my flight to Roi. I figured they would want to spend time at their own home in their own beds and with their dog after being gone 10 weeks. It’s the first time they’ve spent that much time away from Kwajalein, and I worried at the beginning of the trip that they would get homesick, but as usual, they handled it all beautifully, and my worrying was all for naught. Just as I have gained maturity and independence in leaps and bounds since moving to Kwajalein more than a decade ago, they are gaining the same growing up on the atoll as “Kwaj Kids,” and I’m very proud of them and very happy to have them back.
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