Listening to my instincts, I hopped on my laptop and booked a last-minute trip to Cape Cod, to revisit many places Andy and I loved and see where we were married 16 years ago.
There was a little room in Harwich that allowed me to bring Juno, and we set off in Andy's car, lucky to enjoy a window of excellent early fall weather. The colors of the leaves were on fire all the way down.
I stopped at a random place to get gas and looked across the street to see...
I drove over the Borne Bridge and down Rt. 28 to Falmouth, where I began to reminisce about going to Buzzard's Bay, our library workshops we taught throughout the Cape and the weekenders. He introduced me to stuffed clams at the Quarterdeck restaurant and we would walk main street afterward. I drove by the Inn on the Square where we had stayed 12 years ago and eventually had to carry Juno for a long while since she was getting pretty freaked out by cars driving by.
Then I drove 28 following it up through Teaticket, Cotuit, the beautiful Isaiah Thomas Book Store in Marstons Mills, Osterville and Centerville, thinking about how we went to Lambert's fruit market, walked through pretty Wianno, and had to pick up something from Centerville pies.
I continued Rte 28 through Barnstable and Hyannis. I stopped into Pancake Man (we had breakfast there 20 years ago) and when I popped in to see where we sat and ask if I could buy a mug to remember our time there, the nice owner ended up giving it to me. I love the kitchy graphic.
I stopped into the Whydah Pirate Museum as well, remembering the book I bought on the shipwreck from Parnassus Books in Yarmouth and excited to see more. It is so fun! You can touch real pirate coins, see how they excavate buried treasure, and walk through a recreation of parts of the ship. It also has a killer gift shop...
I went to the JFK Memorial beach (which is lovely) and watched children play in the sand, the water cold and clear enough to see a long way out.
Then to Kalmus Beach, where Andy and I spent many hours reading, talking and taking in the sea air.
I put his prayer card into the ocean side and he went out.
I drove up to Sweet Tomatoes in Yarmouth, a pizza place we adored, and I put his prayer card in with the rest of the crowd. The girl working the register was a bit puzzled by my request, but her co-worker knew what I was asking and said "Oh yeah, you can put him right over there."
Juno was a good travel companion. I wasn't sure how she'd do in the car on such a long ride, with the wind, but she was truly great. It was fun to see her cute face pop up in the driver's seat.
She patiently sat and slept in the passenger seat for a few hundred miles when all was done.
Andy and I also loved going to TikiPort and Sam Diego's in Hyannis, as well as the huge Barnes & Noble store. I put Andy inside a copy of Agatha Christie (who he loved to read) and headed back to the room before it got dark.
There was very little street light or sounds at the room in Harwich, so the stars shone so beautifully in the clear night sky.
At first I couldn't do it. I got too worked up and ignored the GPS, driving straight past the turn to the beach house and towards the public beach. I parked, went to the water and could see the house shortly down the way. I watched kids playing in the sand, a gentleman contemplating something looking at the water, and then got back in the car and headed for the house.
To my surprise, the owner was home!
And he remembered us!
I said I was sorry to bother him but if he'd be so kind as to let me take a peek... and when I looked over his shoulder I could see the house hadn't changed at all.
It was the same!
Suddenly I started crying, picturing our cake, our friends and family milling around, everything. He kindly gave me a big hug and laughed "Well, I guess I need new stuff!" We had a nice chat and he let me look around and go out on to the deck.
I went down to the water and talked to him, picking up shells to save forever and letting his prayer card go out with the tide.
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