Dave

I had very few visitors at the home. The story was that I graduated from high school and "went away to study dental assisting." Seemingly, no thought was given as to what would happen when I returned home with no certification and no potential positions in the dental field. But, that would be months down the road, and the top priority was for me to hide--my condition unseen and unknown.

My brother unexpectedly returned to Wisconsin after a year in California. On that first day, as the late afternoon morphed into the cold, February evening, he wondered aloud when I might be arriving home from work. "Ruby isn't living here right now," was Mom's solemn reply. "Well, where is she?" he innocently asked. And, so it was that he learned I was pregnant and living in Chicago at a home for unwed mothers. "I want to see her!" he insisted. Because my mom could rarely refuse Dave's charm, I received word my parents would be making an unscheduled visit in a couple of days. 

I was over-the-moon excited to see Dave's warm, handsome smile! For months I had seen less than a handful of people from the "outside." Dave and I had always been close. He knew my boyfriend and he knew my heart. We were friends.

When I saw him last September, I asked him if he recalled that visit. He was gravely ill and struggled to understand--to remember. He did not. Nevertheless, I was able to tell him how much it meant to me. His visit just weeks before my daughter was born had revitalized me. Knowing he was home again and would be there for me when I returned, had given me something to look forward to. As I shared my feelings with him on that Missouri autumn day, we both cried. 

It was our last conversation. He left us in November.

May 6th will be the 71st anniversary of his birth. There will be smiles and tears as social media explodes with memories of him. Of the hundreds of stories I could share, this is the best example of the love that he and I shared. 

Forever in my heart, the rest of the way. Dave.

David & Me in May, 2010