She said goodbye to the womb when she was thrusted into the world. She said goodbye to baldness as she grew blonde locks and sparkled with bright blue eyes. She said goodbye to warm breast milk as she moved to mashed bananas.

She said goodbye to her mama and daddy on her first day of school. She said good bye to her first kiss on her 900th day of school then goodbye to her first love on her 1,980th day. She said goodbye to her best guy friend she took to senior prom on her last day of high school.

At the end of summer she said goodbye to all of her childhood friends. She said goodbye to her parents after they dropped her off at her university that Fall. She quickly said goodbye to her Freshman, Sophmore, Junior, and Senior year then to all of her sorority sisters.

She said goodbye to her “girls” and the single life of late nights and midnight food runs as she met the love of her life. She said goodbye to her dad during the father/daughter dance of her wedding.

She said goodbye to her and her husband’s freedoms of late nights and worldly travels as they gained child one, two, and three.

She said goodbye to her mother and father as they passed from different reasons with five years in-between.

She said goodbye to child one and two as they went off to college…

She said goodbye to the doctor on that Fall afternoon. She then said goodbye to her beautiful blonde locks a month after. She said goodbye to walking through the park, enjoying a glass of wine, and beating her husband at board games.

She said goodbye when she spent her last night in her own bed and to her beautiful home. She said goodbye to all of her lifetime friends.

She said goodbye to Child 3 and hung on to say goodbye to Child 1 and 2 when they rushed home from college. She said goodbye to her husband who held her hand until she finally said goodbye to her last breath…

Then she said hello…

Randy Zuniga is a trail runner, mountaineer, and outdoor writer from Southern California. He’s also written a few short stories. His story, “Goodbye” is a coming of age tale dedicated to the late Marcelene Mansour and her daughter Sheryl.