Withdrawl

This is Carol. Without her and Lee, I would not have accomplished all that I did this week. I will admit that I could see why my father lived in Santa Barbara with it's nice weather, parade of people, and stunning geography. When I was asked whether I liked Santa Barbara, I replied that, yes, I did this time around but that I would feel as though I didn't deserve to live in such a nice place. It's almost too nice.

The day was spend just crossing t's and dotting i's. I shipped a lot of belongings back east and reaffirmed my hatred towards the United States Postal Service. It was dark by the time Allen showed up and we went out to have a massive sushi feast accompanied by sake and beer before we went back to Los Angeles.

My time in Santa Barbara was exactly what I needed. It allowed me to mourn in a complete way, it allowed me to complete the business at task, and it allowed me to visit with my father's friends and reminisce about his life. I can't imagine doing it any other way.

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For my final memory, it's really a collection of them concerning our numerous phone calls that we'd exchange once a month.

Usually, he'd ask how I'm doing and I'd do the same but there were times when I knew that he wanted to be there to help out more but he didn't know what to say. Still, he left with me a slew of nuggets of invaluable information that I'll probably never forget. Things about life, women, and society.

It might seem so impersonal but in a way, it was one of the closest relationships I'll ever have.