Talking with her about her brother's death years back now. And it's the first time we talked. She just had a kid first kid last month my son's almost four good guy big boy.
Their house looks the same even the table even the carpet and I tell her that. The house even smells the same. But you can't say the house smells the same. Or ask if the sofa's still covered in plastic.
I think of him often. I tell her that instead. I tell her he meant a lot to me, which is true. She says thanks. And then I use the word "maudlin." I say: "Sorry to be maudlin." But it's the wrong word. And that's what sticks with me later. It's not maudlin.
Her brother's dead.