Inevitable, I suppose: I've been asked to babysit.
Well, Paul's seven, so I don't think of him as a baby. And he and I have had plenty of alone time together, so it's not like this is brand new.
But it will be the first time he's just been dropped on me while Tabbatha's off doing something else. (A "girl's night out," whatever that is--and I probably don't want to know.) She and I have talked about this--if the relationship proceeds to the point of cohabitation (an increasing likelihood), I've made it clear to her that by my nature, I'll still do things alone.
Many of the things I most love in life are solitary experiences, like lingering in book stores or relaxing over breakfast with the Sunday New York Times. That's so much a part of my life, and I don't want to be selfish, but to give it up would seem like killing a part of me.
Oh, you can still do that, Tabbatha said. But. If one of us gets to take off for most of the day and leave the other watching the kid, it should work both ways. If she has stuff she wants to do, I get to hang out with Paul. Okay. Seems fair.
So for now, this should be easy. The kid's never seen Raiders Of The Lost Ark! So we'll watch that, then I'll try to get him into Jonny Quest--what with all the gadgets, jazzy music and volcano-dwelling master criminals, it's like a gateway to James Bond fandom.
Of course, Tabbatha swears Paul is too young for James Bond. But there's time...
