Journal Jar Prompt 1.

Write about the saddest good-byes you remember.

wow not sure if this means final good-byes or just you had to say good-bye for a time??

I am going to pick the latter.

I was 16 and had just about finished my 6 week tour of England and Wales with my mum, we had met all the relatives she wanted me to meet and travelled just a little bit ourselves, I had seen London at night, Stonehenge before the tourist trade, we parked in a dusty car park and walked around the stones...no nothing.

I stayed with mum's sister and her dad lived up the road but came down every day. We had a 3 hour drive to the airport in the afternoon...so all day to have that dreaded gut feeling of finality ...

Grandad didn't come to the airport, he said good bye at the house...it was awful in 6 weeks this big bear of a man with very little material wealth gave me so much more, he showed me love, paying for my photos from his mere pension, gave me a trinket from his house on the last day....and stood at the window with tears in his eyes as we got in the car.

I remember his scratchy jacket, his old man smell of classic after shave. I remember my heart breaking for him.

I did see my grandad again, he came to visit me in Australia when I was 18, he was here for my engagement, when I went for driving lessons....
I have since said a final good bye to him.....but can be trasported back in time to the window in a heart beat.

xx