Before I leave, a moment at the pool

Tomorrow we'll be heading back to Seattle. Well, all of us except Aimee. She has to stay a few more days for autopsy and then transfer to a funeral home. That gives me a day or two to figure out what arangements I need to make. But I have to admit, I absolutely hate leaving here without her. There's a part of me that doesn't feel right going home without her.

I've done most of my packing, and I'll finish in the morning. But a short while ago I took a break a walked out by the pool behind the house. We had spent a lot of time there during our vacation, and Saturday (the day before the accident) was especially fun. Aimee had bought Rowan an inflatable dolphin she could ride in the water. For whatever reason, her brother Justin thought he'd give it a try. The results of his spectacular failure were hilarious. Determined to show him up, Aimee climbed on and actually stayed on pretty well. Well, until I came along and knocked her off. The whole week was filled with that joyous laughter and fun.

Until today. No one played at the pool today. No laughter. Just silence.

But the good time won't be forgotten. You see, Aimee and I took turns videotaping some of them on Saturday. And I will hold on to those video clips until some day I have the strength to watch them, and show them to Rowan.

Oh, I guess, I do have one other thing. I'm anxious to leave this place, but at the same time I am apprehensive about going home. Filled with so many memories, photos, smells, clothes, personal effects, I am sure that I am going to break down when I walk in the door. But at least it'll be late at night, where I can go in, put Rowan down, and crash.