Last week, I was in Walmart, pushing a buggy around in kind of a Wally World stupor, when suddenly I hear "Hey Ron!" I look up to see Frank, the younger brother of my deceased first love, Vincent.
I gave him a quick hug, and we made small talk for a few minutes. He was a year younger than Vincent and me, but he was a little slower to process things that Vince and me. . Vince and I would sometimes include him on our outings to the movies, the beach, or to the mall. He never saw Vince and me do anything to indicate that we were lovers.
Frank was always a nice guy. And the lap of responsibility fell upon him when Vincent, who was the oldest child, died. When the father (Frank, Sr.) died, Frank was left with the responsibility of taking care of his ailing mother, which he still does. Our families, once great friends, had drifted apart to some extent after Vince died, and more so when my mother passed away.
When I looked at Frank, I saw glimpses of my Vincent. And it it was both comforting and worrysome to me. I wrapped things up with him by telling him that we ought to go out for a cup of coffee or a meal sometime. From what he said, I gathered that he doesn't have many friends, and that his mother consumes most of his time. I am going to make good on my offer to him, because I know that Vince would have wanted to see his brother do more in life than just take care of their mother.
But it will only be a friendship. I would never feel anything more about Frank, because I still love his late brother too deeply.
I gave him a quick hug, and we made small talk for a few minutes. He was a year younger than Vincent and me, but he was a little slower to process things that Vince and me. . Vince and I would sometimes include him on our outings to the movies, the beach, or to the mall. He never saw Vince and me do anything to indicate that we were lovers.
Frank was always a nice guy. And the lap of responsibility fell upon him when Vincent, who was the oldest child, died. When the father (Frank, Sr.) died, Frank was left with the responsibility of taking care of his ailing mother, which he still does. Our families, once great friends, had drifted apart to some extent after Vince died, and more so when my mother passed away.
When I looked at Frank, I saw glimpses of my Vincent. And it it was both comforting and worrysome to me. I wrapped things up with him by telling him that we ought to go out for a cup of coffee or a meal sometime. From what he said, I gathered that he doesn't have many friends, and that his mother consumes most of his time. I am going to make good on my offer to him, because I know that Vince would have wanted to see his brother do more in life than just take care of their mother.
But it will only be a friendship. I would never feel anything more about Frank, because I still love his late brother too deeply.