Going it Alone
"Guam Adventures - The Darkened Light", is waiting to be finished. Lynda and I worked many months creating a new adventure for Jo and Susan. In fact, the inspiration for the book came to me one evening as my husband, Dave and I watched a basketball game. Well, he was watching the game, my mind was racing. I grabbed my notebook and starting writing down my ideas so I could share them with Lynda. I didn't want to forget anything.
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| Lynda signing copies of "Guam Adventures - Mystery of the Cave" |
Six years ago, when we decided to write "Guam Adventures - Mystery of the Cave", Lynda suggested we write about a Japanese soldier. I thought it was a pretty far-fetched idea but I didn't have a better one so we did tons of research, developed our characters, and plunged in. After tossing out several chapters, doing many rewrites with the help of our amazing editor, Janet, we miraculously finished the book! Nobody was more surprised than Lynda and I. Procrastinators from birth, we had managed to publish and even sell some copies.
What a blast we had! During that time we discovered how differently the two of us remembered our time on Guam. Some things were clear, though. Andersen Air Force Base, the school we attended, the mysterious jungle we saw every day, our parents, siblings, the weather, etc. were etched into our minds. We laughed so much! Memories of the past rolled like a wave through our conversations. What a blessing, after many, many years living so far from each other, to share those years and moments with each other.
The last time Lynda and I worked on the new book was last October when I visited her after her first surgery. We headed to the park, opened up the laptop, leafed though our notebooks and hung out with Jo and Susan and the rest of the gang. Lynda was in pain, but she never complained. She was more concerned about me walking around without the boot the Dr. told me to wear on my ailing foot. I told her to forget about my foot, it was nothing compared to her situation. She wouldn't hear of it. She said, "pain is pain".
After a year and a half of dealing with cancer, our family gathered with Lynda in the nursing home last month. When I first arrived at her room, she was sleeping. At least she seemed to be sleeping. We knew her time was short. Very short. I sat next to her, held her hand, talked to her. Told her I loved her. My brother Mark and his wife, Tracy and I sang along with the young musician from the hospice group who stopped by. He played some of her favorite songs and we harmonized to "Crystal Blue Persuasion", and other songs we'd sung together over the years. Lynda didn't make a sound, but I could hear her voice, anyway. She was probably inwardly cringing at our sour notes.
She passed away at 7:18 that same evening. We siblings and our kids had gone to dinner, leaving her husband, Glenn, their sons and wives in the room with Lynda. Halfway through our meal we had a message saying Lynda was gone. It didn't seem real then and doesn't seem real now.
Lynda was my big sister. The only living person I had known my entire life. When we were little we played together and fought together. Sometimes we couldn't stand to be in the same room together, even though we always shared a bedroom. When we were in high school, every time a boy broke my heart, she would hold me in her arms and just let me cry. She was my first friend.
I'm going to finish "Guam Adventures - The Darkened Light". It will be a lonely job. Sitting at the table, by myself, I pray I will hear her encouraging me. My inspiration will come from her. When the book is completed, I hope our readers will hear her voice along with mine, in the telling of the story of Jo and Susan.
