The Summer of ’04 will forever have a special place in my heart. It just started as idle conversations over lunch and before we knew it, we were actually already lining up for visas at the US embassy. We had the time of our lives bringing Sam to Disneyland, meeting old friends and kin and really bonding as a family. Although the trip was quite physically demanding, having covered five states in barely five weeks, Mariel was always there to keep things running hunky- dory. She arranged all our flight connections, ironing and packing while balancing a 20- kilogram bag on her arm. And she never once whined about being inconvenienced, that’s why she ‘s such an angel.
But like most vacations, snapshots get tossed into the bin after one goes back to the business of living. Hey, I’ve always thought I had a lifetime’s worth of more family vacations coming. Of course, now all I have are these photographs and memories to remind myself that I once had with me the world’s perfect traveling companion. We had both wanted to see the world together when we’re “old and grey”. But now I’ll just have to take comfort in the words of a song that said- “the things we did last summer, I’ll remember all winter long.”
Good night my beautiful princess, I promise we will have that nice holiday when we next meet.