My parents have been married 36 years and had four children: Melissa (Lisa), 35; Stephanie (me) and Stacey, 32; and Rhett, 26. My mother had always loved Cape May, New Jersey and had worked at the Chalfonte Hotel every summer for the past 10 years. It was her dream to eventually move down there when my father was approaching retirement. My father was looking forward to easier work days and quiet days on the beach. They had purchased a piece of property a block from the beach many many years ago and in 1997 my mother began making plans to sell the family house and start building the new house.

Our family house sold fairly quickly and in June of 1998 my parents and grandmother moved into a condo temporarily while all the plans and finances were being worked out. This condo complex had a 9-hole golf course and my father couldn't wait to play. He had always loved the game and played occassionally with friends or with me. We always had a great time golfing and we always spent most of the time looking for his ball since he rarely hit it straight. He could hit it far, just not very straight. Mine were typically right down the middle. He was so proud of me.

Since my parents moved into the condo in the summer, my mother was working in New Jersey while my father continued his job in the area. He would drive down almost every weekend to visit her and review the plans for the new house. My father always took the back roads down to New Jersey since they were quieter and he was a fairly slow driver. He always stopped for a cup of coffee at Wawa and then just took his time.

On August 1, 1998 my parents visited the piece of property to review some ideas. Afterwards they went out to eat at a restaurant down the road that overlooks the bay. They had a couple of drinks and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. Their dream was coming true.

The next day my mother had to work at 2pm so my father kissed her goodbye and started his drive home to Pennsylvania. Shortly before 3pm, my father was hit head on by a drunk driver who had crossed the middle line and was driving on the wrong side of the road. My father never regained conciousness and died later that night. My mother was and still is devasted. She had no choice but to continue on with her dream house alone. She moved in on May 22, 1999.

My father and I never got to play another round of golf. He never saw his new grandchild. He will not be there to walk me down the isle at my wedding in May, and my mother will grow old alone. This drunk driver ruined my family's life. He's currently serving jail time but that is nothing compared to the pain he has caused us. We can never forgive him.

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