A night out

Annie had her first babysitter last night. One of my wife’s co-workers came over after they finished up for the day so that we could go play tennis. We even fed her tacos for dinner. The only thing missing was handing her a $10 bill at the end of the night and driving her home to her parents house. Other than Annie’s grandparents or Dad’s day out, she has only ever been alone with me or my wife, so this was a new feeling. Fortunately for us, the woman who came over was supremely confident and shuffled us on our way, like the overly concerned parents we were. It was reminiscent of a scene from my childhood. I’m getting old.

Annie did great and the two of them were smiling when we came back an hour and a half later. I’m becoming very comfortable leaving her with other people. I hear parents all the time telling me how difficult it is to separate from their children. I’m apparently not wired this way. I get a little lonely when I drop Annie off at Dad’s day out, but I’m never worried. I hope that this pays off later in life and she grows up to be an independent young woman…who’s still Daddy’s little girl.

The other perk to last night was the Querbes Park tennis courts. They illustrate another wonderful thing about living here in Shreveport. The cost of living adjustment shows itself in the little things. You are hard pressed in the New York metro area to find open tennis courts, let alone lighted ones for $4.50 per hour. Back home, the free public courts are always packed and if you want to play at a fee court, it will cost you around $20 per hour. Every time we stumble across something like this it makes us smile. Our own little secret that anyone living in a larger city wouldn’t understand. I can even see us hearing about it before we moved here and provincially assuming that the courts weren’t playable and the lights were dim. Top it all off with a knowledgeable and friendly (as usual) pro and we hit the jackpot.

Now, if I can just get my game in shape to play, I can start to take advantage of my free time. This dad has added a new chin to match one of his daughter’s.