29

Giovanni Haynes

At 3:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, we received the tragic news from the hospital: Stefano Amendola had passed away. My father embraced my mother as she wept for the loss of her younger brother. I leaned against the living room wall, listening to the sounds of mourning that filled the space around us.

Rayan and Luca were still sleeping, but Haylie, who had been nestled in her parents' bed, was awakened by the loud cry of my mother when the news arrived. Now, she lay in Bentley's arms, sobbing.

My mother and I were supposed to visit him in the morning. She planned to bring him more clothes, and he had asked me to bring an entire box of Pop Rocks, joking that he wouldn't be able to enjoy his favorite candy once he was gone—something I found far from funny.

I reflected on all the time I had wasted loathing him, all because of one wicked woman—the same woman who hadn’t even visited him once during his hospital stay. Then the image of Luca came to mind;