I set two coffee cups on the counter before I remembered. Same spot, same side, like she's still asleep in the guest room.
The flight left at six this morning. I watched her wave from the gate until she was just a smudge in the window.
All week she called me 'Grandma Bee.' I don't know where she got it. 'Buzzy as a bee,' she said, and laughed.
The bicycle bell is still on the handlebars of the pink bike she outgrew three years ago. I can't bring myself to take it off.
I poured the second cup down the sink. The water ran a little too long. I stood there, staring at the drain.
First day of the rest of this quiet house. I think I'll leave the cups out tomorrow too. Just in case habit keeps her close a little longer.