Oh how quickly a mood can change.
From giggling elation to complete devastation,
All in a matter of minutes.
“Just go home, I’ll meet you there.”
The short phone conversation that started it all.

So I met dad at home, dropped off by Chris.
I walked in the door, the air unbelievably thick
With silence and heartbreak; nobody moved.
Mom spoke so softly before I could sit,
“Your brother is dead.”
“Your brother is dead” it played back in my mind.
I could do nothing but laugh and nervously ask
“You’re kidding right?”
Unfortunately I knew deep down inside,
The answer was “No.”

When I sat down I didn’t cry,
Instead I sat and stared vacantly
Into the blank faces of my remaining family.
They stared back.
Nothing was said.
Until a wave of something
Beyond our control
Came over us,
And all at once,
We started to cry.

As a family we cried
Over the loss of a brother,
A son,
A friend.