Intro
Dear Diary,
Death is an unavoidable shadow that touches everyone at some point—whether it’s your own, a family member’s, or a friend’s. But nothing prepares you for the moment when it takes someone you love. You think you have time. You think you’ll always have one more conversation, one more moment, one more chance to say, “I love you”.
I learned too late how much they meant to me.
1980, in San Diego, California. A tragedy so unexpected, so cruel, it shattered everything I knew. One moment, they were here—laughing, breathing, living. And the next, they were gone. Just… gone. Like a candle blown out before its flame had the chance to burn its brightest.
Now, all that is left is silence.
Every day, I sit by the grave, tracing the letters of their name with shaking fingers. I whisper apologies, begging for a forgiveness I know will never come. Because no matter how many times people tell me it wasn’t my fault, my heart refuses to believe them. The weight of guilt suffocates me, drags me under. If I had done something~anything~differently, would they still be here?
I close my eyes and try to remember the sound of their voice, the gentle warmth of their presence. But the memories are slipping away, melting like ice cream left too long in the sun. And that scares me more than anything.
Because once the memories are gone, what will I have left?
Nothing.
Just an aching emptiness where they used to be.
