ALÔÔU Chief
How are you doing?
I'll call you tomorrow in hopes of being able to say those words to you.
My father, my old man, my male role model when the true one wasn't there.
The greatest man, the one who has always been there, and still will be (or at least I will hold onto that idea for as long as I can).
Someone is not telling me the whole truth, or maybe everyone is still in denial.
I just came off the phone with your lady, she told me that it will be God's will and lit up a candle for you, but her voice told me otherwise, she's denying it but in some way coping with it.
She has always been so careful and great with you, hasn't she?
She told me everything will be alright.
But you don't look good, let alone sound good.
So maybe I won't call you, because I want to keep the memory of the hardest working and loving man I've always known.
Every time I reminisce about my childhood, I remember perfectly well my favorite time of the year: Summer!
Because summer meant that you were coming from Brazil, and I was always so excited the night before that I could barely sleep.
I just could not wait to get to the front of the way out gate, so I could be the first to see you.
Our morning walks when you would meet your friends at Vasco's to play some billiards and I would watch you hours on end, begging for you to teach me, and eventually, you did, and you even got me a table for one of my birthdays, the craziest.
Lunches during summer were the coolest, you brought the whole family together. For 3 whole months, every single year we would have family lunches with all the uncles, aunts, cousins. And how many of those lunches did not end up in dinner as well, han?
The afternoon was always reserved for naps and playing cards, also many hours of me watching up to you again while you mastered the "Sueca".
I also begged you to teach me, until you taught me well, but I have to confess that the table hits and throws still get me confused.
Monday's permanent menu was cooked codfish unfailingly, my sister still can't stand it.
But I always looked at the airports with great love because they always brought you back to me.
I noticed now, taking this off my chest, that many of the things I love today are because somehow, someway they are related to you.
You also introduced me to the love for Mercedes, whiskey, etc
Everything worthy of a "bon vivant".
At the same time, you also told me your life story many many times, how you left your family behind going on a cruise to Brazil, getting a job as a cobbler to a shoe repairer, and getting your first shop open, but the unstoppable man was able to make his chain of shoe repairs.
How he made a great deal with my childhood house. Above all, before I spend my money on something out of sumptuosity I had to have at least double the money, so I'm never caught off guard.
The way you sold yourself to my grandmother making kilometres to go to a church, right... I want to listen to that story again, the one with the bearing cart and the quarry. How much evil is in an 8 yo boy that will wreck his handmade cart to see another boy all destroyed?
I find it hilarious but Jesus, Mario. My sister knows that story and all the others by heart as well. She's angry.
Expected. She believes that if you had heard her nagging, you would be better. Not only that, but she started second-guessing the decision of going to the army, but I know she's just scared of everything at the same time and is just anxious.
I told her you would want her to go anyway. Because you want to see her fly.
I think I was most prepared for this moment last year when we found out, in comparison to now.
And I would tell you all this and more, but you would never hear, because as you used to say "I'm not a «jolie»".
I don't know how this is going to go, and I hope you are just playing a trick on all of us, but if not, just like Sinatra you did it your way.
"I had a full day" as you would say.
Let me just confess:
I always feared your departure, that's why I never took you to the airport, not even after having my driver's license. But now, no matter how things turn out, you live forever in the blockchain.
Talk to you later Chief