The Last Dance

We knew it was coming.  We tried our best to prepare ourselves for it.  It was discussed numerous times over the last week during evening dinners.  We joked about it in a way to prepare ourselves for the day it happened.  We started a countdown to ease the pain.  We created a different scenario in our dreams at night hoping our dreams would come true.  But it was all for naught.  The Crystal Lake Beach officially closed for the season anyway.  The warning signs were coming.  Colder nights, winds picking up, holiday weekend, etc.  So, yeah, we should have been mentally prepared.  But, when you do the final swim of the season and sit back and wait for the sun to drop below the horizon, and you hear the final lifeguard whistles blow their last "toot", it hurts.  It really hurts.