The Perfect Song Blog

Sun June 4,

We drove 10 miles looking for a restaurant before we doubled back and found a Denny’s in a rundown section of  Peorea.  The waiter screwed up my order but we waited a long time for it so I didn’t say anything.

From there we headed to the Denver Zoo.  The plan was to leisurely see the everything in the zoo and take her to the airport at 5.  It was sunny and very hot. 

Around 2:30 Kim’s cell phone rang.

 “Mom, Dad you have to take this!”  Something really really bad has happened.”  All I could think of was something happened to Nathan and we were three days away.  Leigh took it. 

It was Nathan with the news that Donald died. 

We were three people in a crowd of thousands. We stood there in shock and mourning.  No, I wasn’t shocked.  He’s been dying for a long time.  Today he took the final plunge. I knew Leigh would want to return, and I couldn’t blame her.  It is the only thing to do. 

We still had a couple hours before Kim’s plane left so we walked around but the animals didn’t look as interesting now. 

We found a snack bar and bought drinks and sat outside at the café tables and had little to say. 

Took Kim to the airport.  Had coffees and chips and salsa.  Hugged Kim goodbye.  Three days earlier she had been talking with Donald and doing things for him.  Now he is dead and she has to return to Alaska.  It was really hard for her.

Leigh and I got on the highway and headed south.  We arrived in Pueblo at 8:30, ate at a Mexican restaurant with super slow service and went to our room at Best Western that Leigh booked on the road.

I don’t know how this all worked but Donald’s timing was perfect.  If he’d gone a couple days earlier, we’d have been stuck having to wait for Kim’s plane.  If he’d died tomorrow, we’d have been headed toward Wyoming.

There’s so much we don’t understand. “He waited for us,” Leigh said.  “He waited until we came out.  We were able to take him out to supper for the first time since last year, we took him to the Navy Base and to San Diego. He spent one night in his bedroom with Mom for the first time since last year.  The other night he stayed up till 11 with her, something he hasn’t done in a year.  She said she had the best time of her life.    Just before we left he complained of nausea.  Mom said he’s been complaining of the same thing since we left.  He’s been throwing up his food. 

“He was ready.”