Friday, May 4, 2012

The Day The Writing Ended…

‘A long long time ago
I can still remember how
That music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
**The day the music died**’ ~ Don McLean
Dennis captured a shot of this cantankerous monkey swinging from a coconut tree.
My elder cousin, Dennis Varella passed away early this week. It was a sudden and unexplained. I was teaching a class in Saudi Arabia, when my expatriate cousin sent me a text message on his demise. I was stunned, however I had to brave on and continue teaching.

A few months ago, he stopped sending out his weekly e-mails. He would share his childhood memories, filled with wonder, joy and sorrow. It read like an interactive history lesson, yet filled with family value and a notion of ‘the good old days’. He was attending to his convalescing mother during that time, traveling from west to east daily. I was keen to read them every time I received them. His wife Lemar shared with me how he would dedicatedly read my daily blog almost everyday. For this, I am touched for I have borrowed some of Dennis’s photographs. He also creatively produced interactive multimedia presentations of his research on family history. There will be a screening of some of these films at this Sunday's memorial - which will be a day of joyful remembrance.

I will miss this writer’s musings, yet I will still have a treasure trove of beautiful memories to relish when I like. Rest in peace, dear cousin.

2 comments:

Kevin Siah said...

Sorry to hear of your loss, Enrico. Deepest sympathies for your family. Your cousin sounds like great guy, may your cousin rest in peace.

Enrico Varella said...

Thank you, Kevin for your thoughtfulness and empathy. It was hard-hitting on my uncle and aunt, however their family is strong and united and I'm sure they'll heal with time. We became close due to our shared writings, so it was a 'mirror' relationship of mutual recognition. Cheers.