- "I'm glad I can still smell him" -

karleigh starts off every night sleeping in ahniér's room & then we take her to the bathroom when we go to up & move her into her own room [that way she & kiara don't goof around when it's bedtime], where she sleeps the rest of the night

`

last night, i woke her up, she went potty, then when she got back in the room, she said, "mommy, where's those shorts?" - i said, "what shorts?" - she started looking around & saw them, they were laying on the recliner that's in the room - i grabbed them & said, "where did these come from?" - i then noticed that dustin had slept in that room before his sentencing last week & there was a stack of his clothes laying there & she'd picked up these shorts of his

`

they're the silky basketball shorts that guys wear that are really loose fitting, etc. - these are gray/silver & VERY silky - i said, "why do you have those?" - she smiled & said, "coz i found them over there [pointing at his stack of clothing in the corner] & they're dusty's - did you know that if you do this [she presses them up to her face], you can smell him? - do you care if i start sleeping with them & that way, when i need a 'dusty hug', i'll just smell them with my eyes closed tightly & i'll pretend he's laying here with me...will that be fine?"

`

[bawling my head off] "yes karleigh, that'll be fine - you can keep them for him until he comes home" - to that, she smiled & drifted off to dreamland & as i was closing the door all i could hear was her sniffing & saying, "i'm glad i can still smell him"