The good thing about saying goodbye on a bright, sunshiny spring day is that you have sunglasses to hide your watering eyes. I gave Al the most perfect going away gift that there ever was, a gift so beautiful and suitable to the situation that it would require hundreds of words to tell you about its appropriateness.

“I’m going to hug you now,” Al said. “Before I start to cry.”
“There’s no reason to cry,” I said as I bent down to hug her.
“I know.” Her voice cracked. “It’s just . . .”
I turned around and walked toward Ruby, stopping as she opened her door to get into her car. “We’ll chat on Monday.”
“Yes, we have to.”
“We will, I promise,” I said. “Have a good trip.”
“Yeah. Have a good weekend.”
“Don’t cry,” I said.
“I won’t,” she said and ducked her head into the car.
“Chat with you Monday,” I shouted before I slammed Ruby’s door shut.

Then I cried all the way home.