The Reptile and The Rose Author:Dennis, James Browne Excerpt: I cast a cold eye on life since my daughter's death. To me Tara Marie was the most beautiful child in the world--look at her picture on the cover, you'll see that it's true. With her beautiful face and pretty blonde hair, she was always smiling and friendly toward everyone, and everyone loved her in return. She was only twenty-thr... more »ee years old when she died. Her twenty-fourth birthday was less than two weeks away. On a Friday Tara and I had dinner at a place called The Cove in Sea Bright, New Jersey. We sat out back on the deck and enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the Shrewsbury River. We ordered something simple, cheeseburgers and salads I think, and we were both in a great mood. At times over the years Tara and I had been far apart, but in the last few weeks a lot of things had been happening in her life that were drawing us closer together. Now we were getting along great--better than we ever had before. After we finished dinner I gave her a ride back home to her apartment in Long Branch. I can still see her running up the front sidewalk to the house, laughing and waving goodbye with that little baseball cap on her head... That was the last time I saw her alive. The next day, Saturday, Tara spoke to several friends and they all said she seemed cheerful and upbeat. Early in the afternoon she went down to Monmouth Beach with Dennis, a friend from the office. They sat down on the beach next to the ocean and talked for some time. He said that she was in great spirits and told him that on Monday she was looking forward to enrolling in college for her next semester.That same day she had several phone conversations with her boyfriend Mike, who met with her later on that night. As usual, they argued about something, cooled off and then made plans to meet with his family the next day, Sunday. It was Mike's twenty-eighth birthday... But that night Tara died. And I died with her. Let no one ever tell you that they know how you must feel when your daughter or son dies... They can never know.« less