08/30/2020
oh Roni. cousin Veronica. it’s truly so hard to comprehend the fact that you’re not with us anymore. at least physically. i last spoke with you around 3 or 4 weeks ago. i was thinking about you for days & days. weeks. i missed your lovely lil presence. i felt as if i needed to check in. i was so glad to have you pick up the phone ! we talked around 30 minutes; we planned to go to the beach after this was all over. i would’ve taken lexi. we talked over the world. we laughed together. little did i know it was the last i’d ever hear your voice. i remember growing up and being so so so excited in your presence. i remember being little and jumping into your lap. i remember you tickling me until i couldn’t breathe in. i remember the way that your laugh used to boom & resonate & make everybody else feel so light. so whole & joyful. just like mom. i remember the constant “threats” you used to make, as you said you’d stick your pinky up my nose. then you’d laugh so hard when i lowered my 6-year-old nose onto your finger. hahha gross i’m sorry. i remember the toy monkey on your keychain. god, you loved monkeys. i remember the monkey game you would play with naomi & i since we were children. “quiet in the court, the monkey wants to speak. the first one to speak is a monkey for a week, starting now!” then silence. i was always the monkey. i wanna thank you for all those times you would come over and make my mom so ecstatic with your laughter. you would laugh for HOURS. it was great. i wanna thank you for the many times you surprised me & my sister. i wanna thank you for being the only family member outside of the people i lived with to be a main part of my daily life. i wanna thank you for being so giddy. you would always make me laugh. you were so silly. take for example those photos of you i took in my front yard with ya dino hands. the photos of you & my mom & cousins while you’re tumbling. classic roni. you were the one who taught me to be silly & happy. i’m sosovery grateful that the last thing i was able to say to you was “i love you.” that i had a moment of calm with you as the final. i love you forever cousin & hope you’re laughing away with my mom up there 👼🏾 @ Roni
