Not goodbye, just see you later.

It was October. As the summer said its last goodbyes and as the full effect of autumn started to settle in. Daytime temperatures dropped from 20 degrees down to a cool 10 degrees. Still warm enough to wear a T-shirt during the day, too cold to drive a motorcycle at night.

The year was 1993. I was home from university for Thanksgiving. My gramma had been sick with lung cancer for a few years. She was now bed ridden. She didn't have enough energy to get out of bed. To see her, we had to go into her bedroom.

There was always someone with her. She didn't have the same joie de vivre about her. It wasn't her fault. She was dying.  

I remember the last time I talked to her. I went into her bedroom. I sat on her bed and held her hand. Being 20 years old, I didn't know what to say so I just sat there and talked about nothing. When it came time to leave, I gave her a hug and said one simple word... "Goodbye". 

What else could I say? I had never experienced death of a loved one. She had survived these types of scares before. The fighter that she was could survive another bout with death. She was my gramma and she was capable of doing anything. 

Her response to my farewell will forever be with me. She stared intently into my eyes and replied, "Not goodbye, just see you later". 

My grandmother refused to say goodbye to me. She died 2 weeks later while I was at school. It's not often I can remember the last conversation I have with a loved one, but this one was unforgettable.

Man, I miss her. Some days I wish I could play one more hand of cards with her. She loved her cards...