• The Last Time I Saw Chris
  • Our Garden @ Bayberry Commons Apartments in Portsmouth Virginia
  • The Last Time I Saw Chris

    The last time I saw him.... a few months before his death he called on the phone.... he and Fionia was heading home (Gaithersburg MD) from a weekend trip to New York, (Chris loved taking trips!) he asked if he could come see me I couldn't believe he was asking! He sounded SO happy!
    I of course told him, "HELL YEA!"

    A few hours later, they showed up, it was only the second time I had met Fionia. Chris looked SO GOOD He had on a matching denim set,
    jacket and jeans, but most importantly! his smile was BIG and his eyes were bright! He looked so damn good! We sat for a while in the living room...talking I got out his photo album, Fionia wanted to see baby pictures.... we remembered the good times

    I have a trunk with some of his things in it, stuff he never really cared much about, stuff from his past, we went and looked through it he took a few things, left the rest.
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    I remember this day so clearly, it was like he was saying goodbye forever........
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    After collecting a few things he wanted to take home, Fionia went to wait in the car, as if to say, "It's time to go" Chris had to use the bathroom before they headed to Jessica's (my youngest sister, they were very close) so we walked back into the house, when he was done he came into the
    living room, we stood by the closed front door I didn't want him to go......... I hugged him, he hugged me back with such might we stayed that way for a long time it seemed......
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    Was he saying goodbye?

    I wonder why the hell I didn't go to Jessica's with them, I'm there all the time....

    I wish I could have seen him hold Alyssa.... just once, at least Jess got to see that.
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    I cried and cried, and we told each other how much we loved one another over and over again, he gently brushed the tears from my cheek and told me with that handsome smile, "Mom, don't cry, your gonna make me cry." I couldn't stop we hugged again, and he opened the door and walked to the green rental car they had gotten for the trip, he was driving.... he walked to the car with his head down, looked up as he got to the car door, and smiled
    really big, and said, "bye Mom"
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    why didn't I know?
    i wouldn't have let him go
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    I cried for hours after he left

    Our Garden

    We planted a garden outside of our little apartment in Bayberry Commons, Chris grew Sunflowers and Zinnias. I bought him a greenhouse seed starter kit, it came with sunflower and zinnia seeds. Chris started them in the little green plastic trays that came with the kit. It had those little dried peat pads too. I remember how excited he was when they began to sprout in his window sill. We followed the directions and planted them outside as instructed, after they had grown so big. The back of our apartment had sliding glass doors. Monkey used to sit there all the time and watch the cars go by. Out back there was a small cement pad with landscaping on either side. Chris chose the spot in front of his bedroom window to plant his seedlings. I planted some Phlox and a few other things that I don't remember now on the other side of the patio. Our garden was SO beautiful! and it was the ONLY one in the entire stretch of apartments on that street. It stood out so nicely, we were proud that people would look at it as they drove by.

    Chris's Sunflowers and Zinnias got SOOOOO tall! The Sunflowers reached the second floor windows! and the Zinnias grew well beyond the height of his bedroom window. I've never seen Zinnias grow that tall! He was so proud.

     

    Fionia & Chris used to go fishing here. I spent a day visiting with her, she took me to this beautiful and peaceful place.

     

     

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