One Last Day

I gently rouse you from your sleep, which you are in for most of your lazy days. We quietly dress and sneak along the halls, careful not to wake the others sleeping soundly in their beds. With a final dash we make it out the door.

We hurry down darkened alleys, now barren of people and cars. Our shoes clattering loudly on the pavement echoing into the darkness. Down one then up another we go stopping only to catch our breath once we are near the park.

It is then we slow and I take you to our place. I am rather proud of what I have done, once a secluded hill with an old tree. It is now a picnic spot, with a checkered red and white blanket. A basket rests in the middle filled with our favourite foods, from cold tuna salad to triple chocolate chip cookies and everything in between.

With out any hesitation you dive right in, hungry from your long rest. I follow along nibbling at my own food. We laugh and talk, sometimes just sitting and eating in silence while a sliver of moon shines above us. The wind barely ruffles the blanket and not even a bird call interrupts us.

At last the basket is empty, the night is young and our hearts are full of memories good and bad. We reminisce, we cannot help it. This is to be our last night together.

Happy memories lead into sad ones, which lead into newer memories still fresh and painful. How silly we are, young kids, friends from the first day we met. Nothing has ever separated us before, we just wouldn't allow it, nothing from detention to family vacations, but tomorrow you will go where I, for once cannot join you. We knew, deep down, that someday this would have to happen, we also knew it would hurt. We were right, parting is difficult.

At least we have this night. A perfect night of hanging out and enjoying each others company. With tears resting on the edge of our eyes we lay back to silently watch the stars as they twinkle. It is such a nice clear night for our last time together. I will remember this forever.

Suddenly we see a shooting star streak across the sky. A twinkling gem before a fiery trail blazing it's way through the sky on it's heavenly journey. We make a silent wish, one each, though we both know what the others is, in fact our wishes are the same. That tomorrow would never come.

Alas we know how impossible our wishes are. We huddle close and enjoy the warm glow of hope that the sun will not rise this morning. But the sun will always rise, God can't stop it, so two silly kids wishing won't make it happen. No matter how much we believe it should be.

I can't take away your disease, but at least I could give you tonight. You will be gone tomorrow, but just maybe this day will last forever, in my heart at least.

But I know that eventually time will take this night from my memory too.