Footsteps

I hear the shuffling of her footsteps and it is 4:14 in the morning.  I rarely do paperwork this early in the morning any more, but due to the new school year starting today and unpaid bills needing to be sorted out, I thought I could wake up a little earlier to get things done.

Yet with the creak of of her bedroom door and the shuffling of her footsteps, I know I will be interrupted.  It will be just a few minutes of explanation and whispered exchange of updates.  She will tell me, once again, that she was not able to sleep (she yet has to understand that taking long naps during the daytime interrupts the nighttime sleeping pattern), and I will need to tell her why I am awake, though the stacks of mail and papers and ironing board covered with school uniforms might alone be the picture worth a thousand words.

At times it is frustrating-- the realization that there is no privacy when living with a mother-in-law, not early in the morning, and not late at night.  Phone calls and all conversations are open to every curious ear.  It is not the size of the house or the design of the house, it is just the way it is.

I'll smile when we talk and do my best to be happy to see her, once again.  This is how I would hope my future daughter-in-laws will greet me.  I'll just remember to give them more space to do what they need to do when it's my time around.