Happy Birthday

Dear Lorenzo,

Happy Birthday, Babe.

Or rather...happy belated birthday. 

Yesterday would have been your 48th trip around the sun.

Aisha and Amira went to the Diner to pick up dinner for us (sweet potato fries for Nita, thai chili wings for me and Aisha, and nachos and chili for Amira because they don't do sides of black beans anymore). The family spent all morning sharing stories of you on our group chat and we ended the evening in the same vein, regaling each other with additional memories on a Duo video call.

You were, and will forever be, so loved.

And you would have been so proud because I didn't cry once yesterday. It would have been fine if I had of course but...I didn't.

Because yesterday I really wanted to celebrate your life. 

You remain such a big part of who we all are; Dwight, Danielle, Gordon, Heidi, Nita, Aisha, Sheree and Asia...you've left such an indelible mark on all of their lives. If I hadn't known that before, listening to them sharing their memories of you, from childhood up until the day you died, would have certainly hipped me to that fact last night. 

And Amira and I talk about you every single day. 

Not in a, "your father's dead, shall we talk about your feelings now" kind of way.  No, our exchanges are more along the lines of: "Amira Kenya, if you don't turn down that common class crap you're listening to...I swear your Daddy gave you the worst damn taste in music!" 

Lorenzo, that is YOUR child.

We talk about you every day. We laugh at our memories, we do our best to preserve what we can of our lives with you. We celebrate with The Chicago Diner, I keep Amira updated on every single move the Bears make during the off-season, no matter how little she wants to hear it. She tortures me with your terrible music, we smile at each other whenever we hear Maroon 5 or The Weeknd or 2 Chainz.

Lorenzo, we will never let you go.




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