I really, really need a mental health day.

Last night Mom called me. She NEVER calls me, so I knew right away that something was wrong.

She starts in on her story:

She's asked Danny L. to stay at the house a few days and keep an eye on Cedar while she's away. To that end she went looking for a keyring to put the spare key (Dad's Key) on, so he could have one for a few days. Knowing that she saw a keyring in his dresser when she went through and got rid of his clothes this weekend she goes scrounging.

The key ring that she found had a little device attached to it; a recorder. Expecting nothing, she hits the button,

"Ha ha, Hi Carol, I figured out how to make it work..."


I know now why she called. She can't stop crying. Getting to hear his voice... it's so sweet, and yet... never, never enough. She's crushed. She made it through sorting his clothes strong, and yet this little machine hits like a wrecking ball.

We talk for a while, and cry for a while, and eventually pull ourselves together. She tells me how she saved some of Dad's favorite t-shirts and flannel shirts and is going to make a baby quilt, *hint hint*. I wish I could oblige her right away, but it's not in the cards right now.

I miss him, I miss him, I miss him.


Some old school friends emailed Mom the other day about Dad. It was a little old lady (Ester, for stories sake) whose son was my Mom's age, and who had known my Dad when he was a kid. Apparently her son, had had a crush on my mom and was telling Dad this. To Ester's utter amazement, Dad looks over at her son and tells him, "You better move on to someone else, Roy, cause someday I'm going to marry that girl." This was just after my Mom and Dad met for the first time. Now, the funny thing is that Dad never mentioned this to us, even after years of hearing Mom tell her story of how the first time she ever saw my Dad she looked over and her girlfriends and said "Oh my god, I'm going to marry that guy!"

I've always believed in love at first sight.