Much excitement this morning, Maria landed at Boston’s Logan Airport around 7 a.m., cleared security, took a bus to her car, and she couldn’t drive it. The wheels had locked somehow and wouldn’t move. She was, needless to say, frustrated as well as being exhausted from 48 hours of flying. She called Triple A, they went to the wrong place and then she locked her keys in the car.

She has not yet started for home.

This has a Biblical feel to it, the tests of Maria.  Blizzard on the way out, frozen brakes on the way in.  A lot in between. She is waiting for Triple A in a garage a half hour from the airport. If they can’t get the car started, they will tow her and her car back to Cambridge.

She got upset and cried a bit, then rallied as she always does, and handled it. All of Maria’s emotions are on the surface, there is a great honesty in that, but she is also very strong and competent. I draw from that strength. Ten minutes later, we were both laughing on the phone.

The good news is she will get home today one way or the other, even though I hate to think of her standing out in the garage in the cold locked out of her car in Framingham, Mass.  Not much I can do.  Just thaw the salmon.  Keep on tidying up. I am not a neat person, chaos follows me everywhere.

I will just call her every few minutes to keep her company. The house is ready, I had some flowers made up for her, I told the florist to have some fun, and she did.

I had a rough night last night myself, got sick during the day but feel better thankfully. I did not want to be sick when she came home.

My job now is to help Maria decompress,  help her to rest, she handles these things beautifully, but she also feels them intensely. She will be very pleased to see her donkeys again. And I can hardly wait to see what comes out of her studio.

Thinking back on these two weeks, I wanted to record how it was, a little, before it all gets lost in the shuffle. I was not lonely, which was interesting, more disoriented. I learned that I can still take care of the farm and the farmhouse, but I am tired, more tired than I expected. Some of that might be emotional, this was an emotional experience.

I did not get the writing done on my book that I expected, partly because of unforeseen storms and computer crashes, but also, I think, because Maria’s absence was disorienting for me, and I was always wondering where she was and how she was doing. To write a book, your head has to be free and clear and mine wasn’t.

At the same time, this was a healthy thing for us, we have been together these last few years, and it was important for Maria to fully grasp her own strength and competence – after this experience, nothing much will throw her back home. Nobody offered to feed me and I didn’t need anyone to feed me, I am good at that myself.

My friend Scott Carrino called every day to check up on me, and I appreciated that. As it turned out, I didn’t need any help. Cassandra was wonderful, she makes one last visit tomorrow morning, I will miss her, not because we can’t handle things, but because she is so great.

There is great excitement her about Maria’s wonderful writing and blogging and photos from India, a lot of people want to hear about the trip. Some friends want to arrange a talk for her in town, I hope she does it.

I think the reason I didn’t feel lonely or sad much – just one day, really – was that the trip was so exciting and affirming for Maria, a celebration of her life and skills and great heart. She means to do good in the world with her art, and she is and she will. Next year, I might be in India with her, and wouldn’t that be a trip.

In the meantime, just a few hours to go, a final hurdle. Our reunion is postponed a bit. But she is almost home.