She was almost a little

timid hugging Dana goodbye the night before she left, so i was surprised to find Carolyn sitting cross-legged on her bed looking so miserable. "I'll never see her again!" She sniffed, and snuffled through her bed time story, and after her Dad turned out the light, she appeared at our bedside with her stuffed lion and said "I'm too sad to sleep alone." So she climbed in between us. Tears streamed down her tiny round cheeks. Ed rubbed her back and I tried to console her saying maybe Dana would come visit some summer, or maybe if we went to California to see aunt Karen, we could see Dana there. "But that's such a long time away!" Finally she drifted off to sleep.

I thought she would be better in the morning, but she came in the kitchen and said "She's gone isn't she?" Carolyn was too sad to watch cartoons,and frowned over her bowl of corn pops. She pressed her her face into my soft belly and whimpered. "Don't be sad," I said. "Think of all the stuff you can write in your journal at school this week. Think of all the fun things we did. Think of all the cool things she showed you."

"But that just makes it worse!" Carolyn said. "Dana's gone, and she's taken all her coolness with her.