“I was in and out of consciousness. The doctor grabbed this huge syringe and needle (I mean HUGE). I thought he was going to stick it in my stomach, but he put it somewhere else…inside me, through my cervix and into my stomach. I just knew I was about to have to terminate my baby. They weren’t even giving me a choice. They had to cut me wide open. I had a C-section scar but no baby to show for it.”
“You will smile and cry at the same time.”
“He knew you needed another set of eyes to bear witness to all the glorious magic and madness of your childhood – someone who could feel the ache of memories long past and smile with knowing eyes when you talk about the good ole’ days.”
“It’s so crazy that you can peacefully go to sleep at night and then wake up to the tragic news that your 19 year old brother had died. Why in the world is my LITTLE brother, who’s only 19, laying in a casket?”
“Every time I went to the toilet after my husband, it was moved to a different spot. I’d move it back to the sweet spot, back to the front. For days, this went on. I’d move it, he would move it out of the way. This upset me, and I didn’t know why.”
“I knew he was horrified by what happened and I didn’t care to belittle him or press the issue. What was done was done. At least that’s what I thought.”
“To find her was truly a miracle.”
“I get it. I’m a lot like you, Oliver.”
“A home-made bottle of ginger ale was taken from the refrigerator to the kitchen sink to be poured out. Shelly was busy and didn’t pour it out right away. As it sat on the counter for a few days, it went from cold to warm, and it slowly fermented.”
“I finally fell asleep with the sounds of Dan’s snores in the background. At 3:40 a.m., for some odd reason, I opened my eyes. I heard silence. I ran downstairs. To this day, I have no idea why I panicked. I turned on the light to the man cave. He was right where I left him only 40 minutes earlier, still in his recliner. Only this time, I knew he wasn’t asleep.”
