My dad died 19 years ago

[DFW]

5. So did mine. On this day, November 27th.

My mom called me from Washington on the 21st and said if I wanted a last visit, I had better get over to the States quickly. I asked like tomorrow? She said no, but definitely that weekend. I booked a flight for Saturday, the 25th, leaving back for Germany the 28th. On Sunday, the 26th, he was weak, but still joking around. Monday morning, he was gone. My mom was sure he summoned energy from some unknown place in order to hang on long enough to see me one last time.

She hung on for a year and a half after that, got breast cancer and suffered two strokes, the second of which killed her, but she had told me long before that that she didn't see a lot of reasons to stick around without him. They had been married for 50 years, and the world seemed only half there for her after he was gone.