Baby Steps Abroad

My brother is leaving this weekend and I couldn't be happier.

And it's not because I will have the house . . . and the cats . . . to myself.

Seriously. I can not recall any time when he has ever taken a vacation. He had brochures for Alaska a couple of years back, before Mom died, and seemed serious about it once I was there to look after her while he was gone, but he broke up with his then girlfriend and the whole plan, what there was of it, just sort of disappeared.

This weekend is no where near as ambitious. His bowling league is taking a short cruise to the Bahamas. Tomorrow morning, early, they take a chartered bus to Miami. He'll be back Sunday night. I had assumed he would be taking his current girlfriend with him but he didn't start seeing her until after the arrangements had already been made and her schedule won't allow it anyway, this time, so he's sharing a cabin with a fellow team member instead.

He's got his birth certificate and other paperwork together. He's never left the country before, not even when he was in the Air Force, and has never had a passport so, even though the Bahamas aren't exactly exotic*, this is still kind of a big deal for him.

I hope he has a great time. If he does, he might be willing to try another vacation sometime. Who knows? He could develop the habit. And I promise not to get into the liquor cabinet or throw any wild parties while he's gone.

*Apologies to any Bahamians.