She's Coming Home (Him, Too)

So in June of '15, D2 finished her MS at UF and decided to move to NYC. She took a job with Macy's, and the plan was to move to Murray Hill, which seems to be the first stop for many new college grads there, and was looking for a roommate. Her man Jonathan accepted a job with a private equity firm, and he was going to live Downtown with three fellow UF grads.

The young mens' apartment deal fell through -- they found mold, and the place was not to be. I stepped in and strongly suggested D2 and Jonathan move in together -- they had been dating a few years already, had been deemed future spouses by the matriarch of Jonathan's family, Judy, and from a safety issue I wanted my suburban girl to be with a strong, tall man in that still somewhat scary city.

And they did, and all was well, though after a year, they wanted to move to what I agree is the best part of the City, Greenwich Village. And then, they both changed jobs -- D2 moving to an online retail place in Jersey, and Jonathan to another private equity bank.

Somehow, 4 years passed, and they enjoyed the City, and their many Miami friends who lived there. And D2 took another job, this one with a media company walking distance to her apartment.

They always talked about moving home to Miami, and I never, in my loving Dad mind, accepted them as permanent New Yorkers, though D2 started talking like one -- everything was superior in the City to anywhere else -- like the classic New Yorker cartoon showing  Manhattan, and everything outside sort of an irrelevant desert.

When we'd meet people and D2 said she lived in the city, I'd always say "on extended sabbatical," like she was an academic on loan to NYU but fully tenured at the U.

A headhunter reached out to Jonathan about a job in South Florida, but he wasn't too interested. As one of my friends noted, no one takes money nearly as seriously as Wall Street...

So I figured they'd stay in the city another few years -- maybe returning home when they reached 30 or so. And then I pulled a Sabta.

My suegra is famous for guilt -- central casting type, Jewish guilt. To her, it's an art form to subtly make you feel a bit bad for someway you slighted her. I do it for comic effect.

My last birthday passed while we were in Maine, and I got lovely emails or texts from the Ds, and from D1's man Joey. Nothing from Jonathan, which was unusual.

So a week later, I put on my Yiddish accent and told D2 I had greetings from three of my kids, but not her man. She responded that he had been crazy busy, with the interview in Miami and all...SHIT! She let it slip.

The birthday text came shortly thereafter, and then the tale. Indeed, he had interviewed with the top private equity bank in the state -- the gold standard for them, apparently. And -- he was excited -- he really dug the people there, and it was NYC quality.

Well, to cut to the chase -- last night he accepted an offer from them -- they're coming home.

Friday I was in a nail salon with D2 -- we get Dad/daughter pedis when she's in town. Jonathan had called her, and I could tell the information was that he had been given an offer. At the same time, I fielded a call from Mirta, telling me some wonderful health news about her younger son.

I guess the fumes from the nail salon got to me -- my eyes teared. D2 got off the phone and thought Mirta had shared terrible news. No -- it was my happiness about the news of D2 and Jonathan -- the runaway bunnies were coming home.

So they're stressed, of course -- it's a big move, and D2 just started a new job she enjoys. But they'll figure things out together -- day by day, as "Sunrise, Sunset" notes.

D2 is very close to the vest. Wifey and I came home last night from a wonderful dinner in Weston -- with Eric, Dana, Barry, and Donna. We toasted being 6 of the luckiest people we know -- our biggest blessings being our kids.  We also talked about the challenges of caring for declining and aging parents -- in Dana's case, a GRANDmother, who is 102. But we all know it's a Top 5 Commandment -- and we accept the duty, even though it's far less fun that dealing with adult children.

Anyway -- D2 mentioned casually that she was meeting close family friend Isaac -- to look at apartments in Coconut Grove before her flight back to LGA.  Why, Wifey asked. Oh -- Jonathan accepted the offer. Casual information from my taciturn one...

That's ok. I noted that D2 got to do something I had always wanted to do -- live in Greenwich Village. I think next stop will be in what's historically known as the GW of Miami -- Coconut Grove. We'll see -- I guess I'll find out when I get invited over for a welcome drink -- will they move to the Gables, Miami Beach, Edgewater, or the Grove?

All I know is, today I am one EBULLIENT rockin' Daddy in the USA. The band will be getting together again. This year's Thanksgiving, which we'll host, should be a banner one...