Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Waving goodbye

Walked to the beach this morning with my dog. It's a beautiful fall day, warmish in the sun and there is plenty of sun, leaves just starting to turn, mostly brown but turning and they are falling too. If the breeze picked up and the leaves blew a little it would look like the opening scene of one of my favorite movies, Arsenic and Old Lace. The streets are really empty now since this is more of a summer spot than a year round place. The town has loads of year rounders but where I am is a smallish enclave of summer places that close up this time of year. It kind of has an abandoned lonely sad feeling. It suits me.

My family has been here for decades, closing in on a century for heavens sake. We came here every summer of all our lives, day after school closed we packed up and headed here. Day after Labor Day, we packed up and headed back. I used to have nightmares when I was young that the car was loaded and pulling away leaving me here alone. Everyone would be waving from the back window and I would be watching them drive away. Funny....although each has left at different times, they have still all gone....Mother, Father, brothers.....here I am on that street of my nightmare and if I close my eyes, I can see them all waving goodbye.

How did I know all those years ago that I would be here without them?

If they had to all leave, and we all do sooner or later, I'm glad they waited until I settled here, in a place I love with all the spots I walk to, visit, look at, bringing back happy memories when we were all smaller and together.

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