A Time of Innocence

We stayed late into the night thanking and talking to his friends who were rotating in and out of the waiting room down the hall from the main lobby. Many of them told stories of how he had helped them learning marching shows, handling difficult personalities, and how good of a leader he was. I didn't mention it to them, but a few of the stories I was familiar with because he called me frequently to discuss band functions and for advice on various situations. He was one of the leaders in the band. The U had arranged for us a furnished apartment. After the crowd left and we started to leave it was odd having to go down the elevator. I remember walking in the hospital, seeing one of his friends and her taking me around the corner to his room. I drove mom and dad over to the apartments, dropped them off and parked the car. It was a two bedroom. I went in got a shower, and dropped down on the bed to sleep. It seemed like a struggle to stay comfortable on the bed, like I was constantly sliding off. I was too spent to worry about it. I cried most of the night, but the next evening I noticed that the box springs were catty cornered up on the frame. It slept better the next night. The times I was alone were the hardest to handle.