When he woke that Thursday morning, he noticed his youngest son laying beside him. He couldn't remember the last time that happened. It brought an early morning smile to his face. For the last few weeks, he'd been watching his neighbors across the street pack up their belongings to move to single level living. They were there when he and his wife moved in 19 years ago. Last Friday, he felt their pain as they put their 14 year old dog to sleep. He had walked over to see her, pet her and say his own version of goodbye. She 'talked' to him and he smiled a teary smile when his neighbor said 'She hasn't barked for days'. She knew him and that touched something deep inside. Tomorrow they would be gone too. He knew these things happened. He'd lost pets over the years. He'd watched other neighbors come and go. He had been there and done that. But this time around he felt a pang of another kind. A feeling that gripped every part of him and scraped his insides for every last morsel. Tears found him now. They came so easily these days. He welcomed them in as he sat in the kitchen and felt their salty goodness roll down his cheeks. This was the good stuff.
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