Member-only story
Spring Slides into Summer
It was innocent enough; I was checking out at the local market with a few things I needed for the special dinner I would prepare that evening. It was my daughter-in-law’s birthday and it gave my family a reason to celebrate.
Waiting until I was called forward, I placed my items on the conveyor belt and inched towards the register to pay. That’s when I asked the checker how he was doing and he answered, “Well, I don’t know…”
His words hung in the air for what seemed like minutes before he spoke again. We were both wearing our masks so communicating through facial expressions was limited to our eyes meeting in an awkward stare.
“I’m graduating, I’m supposed to be graduating in a few weeks.”
“That’s wonderful. Which high school?”
I realized my blunder the moment the words hit the air. I go back and forth between my two cities — Santa Barbara and Santa Clarita in California — and many times I forget where I am on a particular day. Today I was in Santa Clarita and down the street from the high school where we experienced the mass shooting on November 14th, 2019.
“Saugus High.”
I was immediately overwhelmed with emotion. My thoughts ricocheted off the inner walls of my brain and I struggled to find the right thing to say. I told myself to hurry and as I…
