After closing on the house, Ryan, Isabella and Liam drove to California. I had gone ahead of them, and Brad was flying in in a few days.

When I arrived first at Casa Amor, I was greeted by Silvio and his wife. As was the same many times, his bags were packed to go to Italy. With a check in hand, I paid him for the summer and he could exchange the funds for a few more Euros upon arriving in Europe. They were kind enough to again hand me the "keys to the castle" for a summer.

I took a short drive down to the beach and walked along the shoreline. Coronado Beach had been part of the oasis of my stays at Casa Amor, and better therapy than even Anne could provide. I had sought out a psychiatrist in California on the off chance that I spilled my medication down the drain. However, Anne was always good to give me a "vacation override", giving me 120 pills per prescription as opposed to the normal ninety.

While walking along the beach near the end of the evening, with the moon rising above slowly over the horizon, Isabella called my cell phone to let me know of their arrival. She was ecstatic when I returned home and made a waving motion and jingled her keys to represent the new home owner that she was.

Liam was still studying at the University of Minnesota, as his program would last another two years. He had decided to become a genetic counselor, and even had thoughts of medical school. I could not have been prouder of my son and daughter. They had grown up too fast, and I was growing older, faster, it seemed.

I longed to have Brad at Casa Amor. I had staged a desk near a window so he would have an appropriate place to write during his stay. He had explained in conversation that he enjoyed writing in the early morning; and by early, I mean 4:00 AM. His proficiency was better than even the late evening before bed. He was obviously productive on this schedule as his books always experienced rave reviews within the community of writers and had topped the best seller list on numerous occasions.

As I sat in his desk for a moment, I made the motions of me writing my own novel. I would have to try his typewriter, to see if it made me a better writer. He would be here in two days, and I longed for his arrival.