He didn't look back when I boarded my flight. I stopped looking back months ago, even though it was months too late. I hope he is well, or as well as he can be. I hope he knows he made me the person I am today, and without him, I wouldn't be where I am today. He also showed me how to love, and how to be strong and stoic and selfless and brave. So, thank you, Wade. Thank you. I owe you more than you will ever know.
I said good bye to my grandmother that afternoon. She passed away a few days later. I get my fight from her, my feisty from her, and my brutal honesty from her. We never were very close, and I often felt like she hated me, but in the past year, I feel like i've figured her out as i've figured out myself. We are more alike than either one of us would probably have liked to admit. So, Cheers, Nan. I know she and pop are partying like it's 1945 somewhere.
And Richmond. What can be said that I haven't already said about that lovely fucked up city? The city where the old bricks suck the life out of you, and the cobblestones rip your soul from your body. I have never loved a city the way I love you, and I have never hated something I love so much before at the same time. I'll be back someday. It's inevitable. I know and have lived the curse already. Stay safe. Stay cool.
Losing seemingly everything I thought I had really wasn't terrible. If you told me a year ago where i'd be now, and that I would honestly, whole-heartedly be happy, id laugh in your face and beg for another shot of whiskey. I made it through just fine, and it truly (as cliche as it sounds) has made me a better person. I couldn't have made it this far without the love and support of my friends - both near and far. I love you. And I am who I am because of you.
