The Gift
Tom sent a gift for me from the other side of the veil on his birthday.
I arrived at the airport very early on the morning of June 3rd. Standing in the long security line, sleepy, with dark circles, and all the added wrinkles and gray hair from almost 9 months of widowhood, I finally get to the first checkpoint. The TSA officer stops the line at me and sends me over to the right, a new line. My first time traveling alone since Tom passed away, I am fighting tears. The last time I flew out of this airport we were flying to Los Angeles for a family vacation with my kids. My heart skips a beat as I realize I am being directed to line number 13. That brings the tears I can’t fight any longer.
It’s Tom’s birthday, if he were still here he would be 64. Being directed to line 13 is a sign, I know he is with me. I wipe away my tears, hoping nobody notices. I am meeting Tom’s sister, Mary* in San Diego, she invited me to celebrate him and his birthday in his absence. We will spread a few ashes, cry, and laugh. She has become such a lifesaver to me and a cherished friend.
She lands an hour before I do and get’s the rental car. Once I land I meet her outside. She informs me that we are going straight to the day spa. She has booked us an hour-long massage and then an hour-long facial each. It’s at a fancy spa in Torrey Pines. There is a…
