Something that I’ve been thinking a lot about since coming back from visiting my family, is the difference between where they live and where I live.

They live in a pretty small town. A town that, until recently, had one stop light, two bars, two grocery stores, one feed store, and about 10 convenient stores/gas stations. Why so many convenient stores, you may ask? Because that’s where everyone hangs out.

When I go back to visit, the first few days are usually spent talking about who’s been married, or divorced, or had a baby since last time I was there. My Dad is a teacher at a near by high school, so he has connections to gossip that way. My Mom is a nurse in the nursery of the local hospital. So she is also very connected. Plus I have a younger brother and sister who still live pretty locally and have tabs on a lot of different people.

I usually roll my eyes while they are giving me the low-down on everything. But you know that secretly I love hearing everything they are spilling. The King hates this part of the trips to visit. He says he hates it because gossiping is wrong. I think he just doesn’t like it because he doesn’t have any idea who we are talking about.

The thing he really hates is when I get filled in on what my ex-husband has been up to. My family and friends are (somewhat) respectful and try to not talk about it while The King is around, but he still knows that they are telling me. Since my ex’s family live down the street from my folks (and I think he may even be living with them, but I wouldn’t know since I have had no contact with him in over 6 years) they can’t help but know what is going on. I heard about when he moved to Alaska. I heard about when he got married to my little brother’s prom date, then I heard when that was determined to be a rumor and he really wasn’t married. I heard when he moved back from Alaska and starting working at the same hospital as my Mom, but was totally snubbing her. I also heard about the girl he was dating that had left her husband to become a lesbian, but must not be a lesbian because she was dating my ex. Oh yes, I’ve heard it all.

I also tend to run into someone from his family when I’m there (but never him). I am not kidding when I say that the last two time I’ve been there I’ve seen his Mom (at that horrible place that sounds like Pal-Gart) in the exact same aisle. Of course, she totally snubbed me. I like to think she didn’t recognize me since I’ve had my braces off and look so much better. But the honest to goodness truth is, I was snubbed. I even ran into his little sister one night at the video store where she proceeded to tell me all about her wedding. She didn’t ask me one thing about me. Not one thing. Just informed me about her wedding and the guy she married.

Remember how I said that this trip was different from trips in the past? I figured out why.

It’s because I didn’t hear one thing about the ex. I didn’t hear anything about his family (who all live in a 5 mile radius of my family). I am not even sure that we ever drove by his house. I went out to the stores, but I didn’t run into any of them. Not his little brother, who I dated, or his two cousins, who I also dated (see, it’s a really small town. I had to literally move out of state to find someone decent to marry). Not even his Uncle, who I used to ride horses for.

The best part is that I didn’t even realize this until I was back home in Seattle and The King asked me, sarcastically, what my ex has been up to. He was as shocked as I was when I replied that I had no idea.

If I haven’t mentioned it before, I’ll mention it now. I love The City. I am such a City Girl. I always want to live where I can ride the bus to work, and shop at all hours of the night and day. I want to hear the sounds of airplanes and cars at night. And see the lights of the city through my bedroom window.

Most of all, I don’t want to have to be bothered with what other people are doing.

Especially not him.