I love beautiful Big Sky summer days in Montana! Even as a child I knew I was living someplace very special. The fields of wild flowers and the melodic sounds of the meadowlarks resting on a fence! The smell of fresh cut grass, eating vegetables from my dads garden, doing cartwheels on our ample lawn, putting on summer plays...an all American childhood...Or so we all thought!
One late evening there was a lot of commotion coming from the usually quiet living room! I woke up but my sister slept through it. I didn’t get out of bed but tried to listen and figure out who was in the house...Ruby was there, moms best friend, daddy was there and another man...it sounded like Dr. Bertollio; our family Doctor. Then it got quiet, but I heard car doors slamming and murmured voices from outside. I looked out the window and saw all the cars leaving except Ruby’s car! I fell back to sleep as only an 8 year old can do with all the action and the many questions I had...I simply drifted away!
The next morning Ruby was gone and Dad was there. He was making us bacon and peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast, I’d never had that before and never had it again! Daddy explained to us four kids that mom was very sick and was taken to the hospital the night before, that she would be gone for a long time, a couple of weeks! He looked very sad, but mustered the energy to tell the 8, 6, 3 and 1 yearold that we were all going to stay at our Aunties house so daddy could work and spend time with mom. We all thought that was awesome...until we got there!
