Linda is gone....at this moment she is flying between Atlanta and Milwaukee, hoping to lie down in her own bed well before midnight. Justin was comforting me when he got home from work, knowing how I get after my company goes home, but I was doing much better by the time he got home. Listening to my radio programs sure helped. I saw a sign one day with the reminder to not mourn what is gone, but rather to rejoice over what we had. I will do just that!
This morning as I was yet lying on my bed, I watched a thin red line form along the horizon, hopeful for a sunrise for Linda's last morning here. The line grew as I watched from my room, and Linda from the river room. My phone went off which was surprising at this hour---my friend, Anne H., was calling me to make sure Linda was up to see the sunrise. Anne had caught of glimpse of the colored sky in her rear view mirror as she made her way to work and thought immediately of Linda!! I just have the best friends! I flew from the bed to make sure Linda was seeing it, and she was. At last, a sky with a color other than grey!
Linda had her bags about 90% packed for her return home before we went to Great Hang Ups so she could see the photography show in which my piece is showing. We had seen Julia briefly when we dined at Saigon Tokyo (Koko's) on Tuesday night. Julia was picking up the soup du jour for her dinner. We then promised to pop in the shop the next day, which we did. Unfortunately we missed seeing Dee as she was doing a take-in for a show elsewhere in the forenoon. Linda snooped around in the shop for a bit and we visited briefly with Julia, and then headed back home.
Linda's lunch was her leftovers from Koko's, the shrimp and fried rice, while I had a baked potato left from last week's dinner at The Club. I don't know what makes their baked potatoes taste so good, but they do. And even a half one is a meal in itself! Justin and I will have our leftovers tonight for dinner, enough yet for each of us a full meal. That's why I don't fuss about the prices at Koko's---two meals, at least, for the price of one!
We kept busy with our machines until it was time to head to the airport. She had booked her travel according to avoiding rush hour traffic for me coming back. She did good! Or, rather, Tommy did! She got checked in at the curb and got her boarding pass, arranged for the wheelchair, with her letting me know she was positioned at her gate. It was a tearful good-bye for me, as I held them in as best I could as I drove off.
As always, we have words leftover (a Justinism that applies to us!) and we will be meeting online perhaps tomorrow morning, or for sure tomorrow evening for The Five. In the meantime, Justin and I will get her room turned around and made ready for our next houseguests who will be here at the end of next week. I miss her already!
