It seemed like it would be enough time when I booked my parent's airplane tickets; almost a full seven weeks together. And yet the time passed by quicker than I could have ever imagined. We traveled like crazy, enjoyed festivals, great meals, time at the beach, and the occasional quiet day at home.
It was always in the back of mind, to enjoy every moment possible as I knew it would end to soon. The more I tried to slow the time down, the faster the days passed. As much as I tried to ignore the day of my parent's departure, August 14Th glared at me from the calender. I actually caught myself glaring back at it.
Knowing how much my mom loves the beach, I planned our last outing to be a day at the seaside. With beach towels tucked under our arms and a cooler packed with lunch and cold drinks, we set off for the beach of Casal Borsetti.
We enjoyed the day as we sprawled out on lounge chairs and sought refuge from the unforgiving Italian sun under a blue and white striped umbrella. Our lazy, dream-like state was only interrupted by the occasional dip in the cool, salty water. But as the hours passed and the day neared closer to an end, I found myself feeling unusually sad. This was it. The summer with my parents was coming to a close, the party was almost over.
When the Italian noticed my somber face, he quickly blurted out "Siamese kitty at the beach!", referring to a kitten we had seen that morning. At only six months old, her family had already gotten her use to spending time at the beach. The sweet, little Siamese rolled around in the sand and slept on a lounge chair as if cats had always been meant to be at the seaside. His efforts worked, if only for a while. The thought of the kitten, who had gone home with her family at lunch time, made me smile briefly.
As I laid on my lounge chair I listened to my M3P player. I watched the waves of the Adriatic lap up against the shore before retreating back to the sea. The sun warmed my body, turning my bronze skin pink. Mom and Dad, on lounge chairs next to me, were in their own worlds; Mom bathing in the heat of summer like a true sun worshiper while Dad was lost in a book. I felt my heart tighten and my stomach sink as I thought about their inevitable departure. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath in an attempt to push my sadness deep inside. Just when I had succeeded at over coming a new round of tears, a song by Zero Assoulto started, "Prima di Partere". The English translation? Before to Leave. Instantly a stream of tears began to flow, stinging my sunburned cheeks as they made their way down my face. Pretending to sleep, I buried my face in my arms to keep my family from seeing me cry.
Good bye never gets easier.
No matter how many times I have to do it....
Rome, July 2008
