Dear Mom: Part Five

Dear Mom,

Rob did it again. He pulled a rabbit out of his hat. Just when I was making peace with the idea of spending my life on my own, by myself, dealing with issues one at a time as they arose, he sprung a Valentine's Day on me the likes of which I could only imagine. Yes, I am old school. What woman doesn't want chocolates, flowers, and a mushy card? But that's not Rob.

Instead, he pulled up his sports car and texted me that he was downstairs. What?! Why didn't he buzz me and come up and help carry the weekend luggage for me? He was still reeling from my telling him that I wanted to go solo through life, I guess. His text said and I quote, "I'm downstairs as instructed." Oooh, yeah, he was ticked off from something, and not just my taking a whale-watching trip without him. He was hurt and I felt terrible about it. I knew I had to get the laughter going!

So, I had my neighbor help me down with my luggage and that gave Rob a start! Not a laughing one, I'm afraid, but my neighbor saw me in the hallway and offered and I needed the help. One man carrying my luggage for another -- Rob won't try that one again, I think! Hey, Mom, you know I struggle with heavy luggage -- three computers, Evian water, it all adds up even though I only had one small bag. I made light of it (pun intended) and started pulling stuff out like my traveling massage balls and things that I thought would be fun for us! That got us laughing and we enjoyed light traffic and kept on the light subjects!

Off we tooled to the business district of Pasadena, an area in transition, which is basically empty compared to the Westside of Los Angeles. There, we valeted the car at the old Constance Hotel from the 1920 era built by Constance Perry. Sadly, after her passing, it fell into disarray and then became a senior living residence until it was bought in 2007 and is now called dusitD2 constance pasadena, a boutique charmer, and so reasonable that they are practically giving rooms away starting at a couple of hundred dollars a night and up (but not by much) for fantasy suites with everything being electronic and high tech.

I tell you this, Mom, because you loved computers and this hotel is all computerized. You order everything on your mini-iPad from shoe shines to Starbucks coffee that they serve in the room so you can then use your Toto toilet with a built-in bidet and warming drier.

Rob clearly knew what he was doing. He must have staked out the hotel, stayed there doing his homework, or read a review since it is brand spanking new! It took seven years to get all the historical society business approved and re-built. They have managed to preserve magnificent Carrera marble and staircases and yet go wild with the dcor of bright shades of cobalt blue and sunshine yellow to lift your spirits which include the lemongrass products in the room which lift jet lag. We hardly had any from our 25-minute drive from Brentwood but it is nice to know this kind of stuff for when jet lag is involved!

Rob snuck out of the room and reappeared with boxed dishes from the downstairs restaurant such as uni (sea urchin) on toast, sashimi scallops decorated with edible marigold flowers, tiger prawns, and a great salad. These, he said, were to be considered appetizers. He then drew a bath pour deux in the tub adjacent to the bed. Bathrooms inside bedrooms are the new rage, btw.

Then we talked and watched Titanic and talked some more and I told him that I just want to have fun at this point in my life. Marriage is a legal contract and you can get sued if your mate gets sued and I don't want that at this point in my life. I have it all together; my life is humming like a well-tuned Ferrari and I don't want to jeopardize what I've worked so hard to perfect. So, if we can be boyfriend and girlfriend, this would be perfect to me. Why does everything have to lead to a march down the aisle?

As much as he would like to be married (and boy does he need a wife, but don't we all?), he seems okay with this... for now. So, let's see, Mom. Let's wait and see. All I know is that he showered me with love, attention, affection, and he let me know how much he loves and appreciates me. How much more is there? Truth be told, most days with Rob feel like Valentine's Day anyway. Why mess with success? I miss you, Mom. Hope you and Dad are dancing on clouds and giving the stars a run for their money.

Love,

Patricia