A little way away

From a notebook, more than a year ago:

I had been without a car. And so, when suddenly he gave me his spare car, I made plans right away.

Those plans involved taking the children with me over the border to stay with a friend by the sea. The spontaneity was irresistible. The tightness with the children. The freedom of leaving somewhere.

But I forgot to tell him until the last moment.

I am not used to this negotiation, is all I could say by way of explanation. I am not used to thinking of someone again, to be consulting, to be leaving you.