By Davy V.
It's been one year since my brother "Mano", my only sibling , passed away.
And not a single day has gone by that I don't think of him.
I miss him so much.
But he was so much more than my brother.
He was a great uncle to my children.
And he was a GREAT FATHER.
As a single dad, he sold his house, which he bought cash when we won a lawsuit against the City of Rochester, New York, and the Rochester Police Department, so therefore he had no mortgage, but he sold it and moved into a small, overpriced, outdated apartment in Brighton, NY just so that his daughter could attend what at the time was a top school district.
And in doing so, he gave her a great launching pad, which in turn propelled her to having the professional career she has today.
NOTE: I will write more about that another time, because there are some things that need to be said, and because he deserved so much better, but that's for another day.
Simply put, my brother loved his children, and he was always there for them.
My brother was also my first cameraman.
In the early 1990's, we traveled to East Orange, New Jersey in his Toyota 4 Runner, on a shoestring budget, to interview Naughty by Nature for the debut episode of my cable access TV show KEEP IT ON THE REEL.
My brother believed in my passion for video production, and without his support, that episode, and the classic interview with Treach, a legendary HIP HOP lyricist, would have never happened.
Me and my brother were almost a decade apart in age.
So his taste in music varied from mine.
Where my music of choice was HIP HOP, my brother's was The Beatles, John Lennon, Billy Joel, Thelonius Monk, and Billie Holiday, to name a few.
Growing up, I remember playing Rakim on my boombox in my bedroom, while just across the hall, my brother would be playing John Lennon in his room.
At times it sounded like the battle of the bands!
But as we both got older, we shared our music with each other.
I introduced him to Public Enemy, one of my all time favorite rap groups.
He introduced me to Billy Joel and The Beatles.
And interestingly, we actually started liking each other's music.
In fact, my brother liked Public Enemy so much that he bought their album "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back"!
And to this day, Billy Joel, John Lennon, and Steve Millet are on heavy rotation on my music playlist.
Me and my brother shared a love for film and television series.
He got me into Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Last of Us, Game of Thrones, and House of The Dragon.
I haven't really been able to watch a complete movie or series since my brother passed.
And it's going to be especially hard to watch the new Dexter series or the new The Last of Us.
I MISS MY BROTHER.
I miss talking to him.
I even miss the normal sibling arguments and disagreements.
I just miss having him in my life.
In my children's life.
They also miss him.
My sons will often text me:
"Pops, I miss uncle."
"Me too.", I reply.
They say that when you lose a loved one, a part of you dies as well.
That statement is so true.
It's just not the same without him.
Especially being that he was my only sibling.
It's actually a surreal feeling because with his passing, a connection to my Cuban roots (my brother was born in Cuba) and our overall family history is also gone.
Please cherish the time you have with your loved ones.
Appreciate every moment you have with them.
Let them know how much you love them, WHILE THEY'RE STILL HERE!
I know that advice may sound so cliche, but I mean it.
Trust me.
You will miss them when they're gone.
And you'll regret not doing more.
You will also regret not spending more time with them.
I know I do.
Mano we love you and we miss you so much.
Your brother,
David
