He's On A Business Trip--This Is Why You Should Hire My Husband

Sometimes I'm lucky enough to tag along with my husband on his business travels. He lets me bask in his aura, even if we are doing what they call in preschool "parallel activity." I'd call it parallel play, but then I would get yelled at for sure.

He does his thing, which is work like a maniac. I do mine, which is to be on vacay and have nothing to do. Boy does having nothing to do feel pretty good--especially when you're a stay at home mom to three kids, a dog, two cats and a workaholic husband.

On the flip side, I wait for him like a puppy waits for her master at the door. I ask him questions like, "When will you be back? What time is your last meeting? What time are you waking up? When can we have dinner?"

His answers to these questions is always, "I'm here on business, I'm not on vacation."

When I get this answer, I go right straight into puppy mode B. I cower in a corner with my book (oh, o-k, sometimes it's the jacuzzi tub).

In my idle time I raid the mini bar (he still talks about the time I had Baileys, JD, and Patron whilst waiting for him to arrive back to the room--makes for an interesting mix and very interesting conversation). I go exploring. I order room service. I nap. I read books, like whole books in a couple of days, which usually takes me half a year in my real life.

Sometimes he takes me out. Like in London, we went to a fancy tea. He sat across from me and did his conference call on his cell phone and I ate scones. Sometimes we go out on business dinners--I try my darnedest to be entertaining and appear well read. I also try to behave myself.

Throughout the trip, I hear, "I'm here on business, not on vacation." I also hear "I have the job that actually pays money." How do you argue with that? However, looking at the full golf swing of my husband's life, he's never not on business.

It's true, over the years I've learned to have little fear of eating the peanuts out of the mini bar for breakfast or dining alone in the hotel restaurant. I can sit next to my husband on 10 plus hour flights and not bother him while he works.

I eat brunch with him as he types away frantically at his computer or catches up on the global news. I have romantic dinners where he is fielding phone calls or sending endless e-mails.

Sometimes I am happy to have the job that doesn't pay. I have the job that comes with hugs and stories and making cookies. I get to wipe tears and hear silly stories and look at the architecture of lego buildings.

People say things like, "Oh, you went to London? Just the two of you? How romantic!" I smile and nod. Just like saying "Fine, thank-you" when someone asks how you are, sometimes, you just don't want to go into it.

Life is what you make it. What we forget, is that nothing exists in a vacuum. There are always factors that effect the weather no matter how hard and bright the sun shines. When you are sitting at that tea service, eating basically alone, but worse, you then know the romance of business travel.

In other words, you just had to be there.