Goodbyes.

July 1, Newark.

There had to be a goodbye party.
Richard arranged it, as Richard does, and brought his friends. Lots of food, lots of cake, and lots of cup cakes with too much icing, somehow short on ambiance. Saul was right, the "cherverza" was missing - without booze people don't really unwind, do they. So it was people sitting around the tent ring and in the seats above, in small groups, eating and talking, and there was Dylan running around looking cute, what else, in his big boy jeans which kept falling, making him look like a mini rapper from the kiddie corner hood.
Friends of the circus (and our friends) Terri and Linda, from the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose, came by for the party and stopped at the trailer, arms full of presents. Terri had just returned from a visit to her parents' homeland, in the Azores island of Portugal, she spoke softly in Portuguese to Nicolas. She told me she thought seriously about quitting her job and moving over there, an old great aunt needs help, and I saw the longing in her eyes and it was a familiar one. Of course I think she should just go, but then I should know, having collected more different addresses in my life than an army brat.
As the party wound down there were lots of pictures taken, too, the kind you take when you know you're going away and you're not going to see people again soon, or maybe ever.

(From left) Pablito, Goyo and Alexela.