Sackcloth and Ashes: My Uncle Dan

To say that he was loved and cherished would be to undervalue him. His phone calls were looked forward to with much anticipation; his visits even more so. He was a gentle, peace loving man who loved nothing more to have some drinks and listen to his salsa vieja on his huge ant¡que speakers. He helped me fix, paint and move into my first apartment, never complained and gave a helping hand (when the cement proved to be a a bit hard to drill into, he muttered esta vaina si ta dura chucha and kept right at it till the hole was drilled). I know he loved me very much and I can say the same for him. He was my grandfather's favorite son, favorite child, and we would tease him by saying that he was the anointed one as my grandfather would drop everything to be with him. He was well loved by the ladies as well. It was a combination of charisma, old school latin charm, and the Magnum P.I. mustache that they fell for. He was such a handsome man, but he was never cocky about it. He was ever so humble, ever so funny. He had a wicked sense of humor and could make me break out laughing even in the toughest moments. He would call from South Carolina whenever he knew that my mother and I were fighting to give me comforting words and to calm my mother down. He hated fights. He would do the same when my mother and grandfather were fighting. In fact he was the go to man when our house was in a tizzie, he was the referee, the man to put order to everything. He would calm everyone down. I don't know how my family is going to handle their arguments now. I don't know how my grandfather must be taking this, his first son, his favorite son, the son he would boast about to everyone, carrying a picture of him in his money holder. I don't know how my cousins are handling everything. Their father taken from them. They are all grownups, but it doesn't make it hurt any less. Who will take over his business? I wish I could be there for my family. I know this will affect everyone, every single one of them in a big way. This is so unexpected, so sudden. I couldn't even say goodbye. Nothing I can write here or anywhere could ever do him justice.