Dry Run

Today, Chrissy and I took a train to the stop she will need to use to fly home at the end of the week. From our local station we will go nearly into Osaka, transfer to the Tarakazuka line for about 5 stations, before she transfers to the Osaka Monorail into the airport. She will return home for three weeks to work and take care of business back in Pullman. On Friday, I will ride my bike with her to the station and ride the train to the Monorail. There I will let her go and return to Nishinomiya for work.

While we rode the rails today, she asked me what I would do without her. I have no idea. We have been married for 24 years and each other’s only real companion for the past 10 weeks. It is going to be extremely lonesome without her. As we got off the train, back at our home station, she asked me again. I said, ‘probably ride the train a lot.’

I can hop on the train and ride loops around the Osaka bay area. I can explore. As long as I don’t leave the stations I visit, I don’t pay for the trip. It is a cheap way to explore. I will also do things that she doesn’t want to do. One day, I will ride my bike to Costco. I don’t know how many miles it is, but it will be easy to navigate to. I may also ride to the airport, right down route 171. There is another road that could take me up to Takarazuka, a town north of us. I could even go a bit further into Namaze and visit the 13th century Buddhist temple we found back in August.

I will find something to occupy my time. Anything to help me pass the days I am alone. Three weeks really isn’t that long, but on this side of it, it seems like an eternity.