I don't know what to say, but I feel like I need to say something.
Gilbert is likely one of the only people outside my family, I have known my entire life. He is in my earliest memories and has been sporadically ever since.
He was that cool older guy, the one you wanted to be like when you were older. I can't believe he was only 12 when he first moved to Chute-à-Blondeau. I would've been 6. He was the kind of cool I could never hope to achieve.
Naturally, we lived in different worlds at that age, but he was part of my big sister's world, so I got a peek every once in a while. It must have been clear that he liked Lisa from the start, because I was shocked to learn they hadn't dated in those days.
I had always understood them to be boyfriend and girlfriend (whatever that meant), and thought they were "getting back together" when they finally started dating years later.
After they got married, I got to actually take part in his world every once in a while. It was always a wonderful time.
Once, one of his buddies was going up in his single prop plane. They invited me and, Gil's son Phil along for the ride. He must have been 3 years old, if that. As the four of us sped down the runway, it was the funniest thing, Gil and I watched Phil during take off, as the ground fell away beneath us, Phil looked back and forth, three or four times, at the ground out the window and the at the floor of the plane trying to make sense of what he was seeing. We laughed so hard.
That's my favourite memory of Gil. It embodies everything about him that I loved. We was an adventurer, an amazing father and he loved to laugh and have fun.
My heart is broken that such a shining light in this world has gone out far too soon.
Goodbye Gil. I'm glad I got to be a small part of your world. I will miss you.
No comments:
Post a Comment