I craned my neck to see the singer on stage. The crowd was enthusiastic to see the familiar face of a famous singer, singing in their native language, from the land they had just fled from. I walked around trying to find a good spot. Then I saw him. Tony. My English teacher. He was happy to see me. We watched the Khanh Ly concert together. He was a high school English teacher from Kalamazoo, Michigan. He volunteered his service to teach English to the Vietnamese refugees at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas that summer. I stayed after class to chat with him. We formed a bond. A friendship that endured the time, until he died three days ago. That would be forty-nine years of a special friendship between us.
Before he returned home to Michigan, he gave me a dollar bill and he wrote a sentiment on it. That is not a bill to be spent. I still have it. He and his wife came to Illinois to see me. I travelled to Michigan to visit with his family. He came to visit me while I was a college student. He lent me money when I needed it. I got married after college. He and his wife attended my wedding. I had children and moved a few times. Over the years, he always remembered to send birthday cards to me and my children. My family drove from Virginia to Michigan to visit him and his wife. My children called him Uncle Tony. For a long time, they didn’t know they were not related to him by blood. My second daughter stayed with Uncle Tony and Aunt Betty for a week one summer, just as a little girl would spend some time with her grandparents. She treasured the time she got to know them.
The last time I heard from him was a letter he wrote after I sent him a picture of my new grandbaby. I am sad I didn’t get to see him at the end of his life. I got the news on Tuesday evening that he passed away on Monday, the same day I put his birthday card in the mailbox. On the one hand, I wish he held the card in his hand, had a wonderful birthday, and got to be one year older before leaving us for good. On the other hand, I believe he is now at peace. He knows when I think of him. That’s what gives me comfort. The faith I have that he knows he is loved. By many. I am glad I was a part of his life.
