Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

Saying Goodbye

When I said goodbye to my co-workers, it seemed as if my life was ending. How could I possibly leave my job, move to a town where I had no friends, and spend every day in the company of a baby? That memory of driving away from work for the last time, winter sunshine slanting through the car windows, waving to my co-workers who had become friends, is hazy and thin now. Nearer are the winter days of snow men, well-dressed and well-loved; toasted mittens beside the woodstove; grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. Much nearer is a more recent goodbye. That baby is now a married man, paying rent in an apartment that is two hours' drive from the home we lived in when I thought my life was ending.l I'm still here in that home, very much alive, and surrounded by memories of the little boy who hugged the snowmen, wore the mittens and ate the sandwiches. Wistful tears and the lump in my throat take turns with the heart full of happiness that comes when I see that little snowman-maker now grown and building a warm and delightful home with his new wife and his new co-workers.

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