“Thank you all for coming today. Vinny would be so elated to know so many cared for him. I wasn’t sure what to say today and I didn’t really take any notes or write anything down. All I know, is that every time I close my eyes and think of my brother, I only see the good. Well, first I see his beaming smile and I hear his booming laugh. I think about when we were kids and used to hop in our sleeping bags and ride down the stairs at breakneck speeds. I think of playing kick the can and hide-and-seek way past dark. I think about how incredible of an athlete he was. I think about how warm he was to animals and pets. Nobody loved dogs more than he did. I think of some of the stupid things we did, too. Like breaking into the baseball concession stand and stealing all the candy and storing it in our garage in old paint cans, hoping our dad wouldn’t bust us. Then going out after everyone was asleep and gorging on it until we damn near threw up.” That got a good laugh. “I feel guilty about how his life ended and how I wasn’t able to save him. I know there’s nothing I can do about it now, but that will stay with me for a long time. He was so courageous and brave in his final moments. I can only hope to find the same courage and bravery in mine. I will miss him most, I fear, during baseball and football seasons. I’d like to finish this off with a song by Don McLean.”
I fished my phone out of my breast pocket and queued up “Vincent” on iTunes. I held the phone in my trembling hand and let it play to its conclusion. When it was over, I invited everyone up to Castaways for a casual dinner and to continue the celebration of Vinny’s life.
Jen and the kids were walking ahead without me and it was then that it dawned on me that there was a missing piece from the crooked picture frame. I made double time to catch up to them and complete the set.
Say Goodbye Page 11