Two years after

[womzilla]

So, once in the 1990s tim_maroney was visiting New York and spent a few days in our guest room. I was working for Crossover at the time and had fairly flexible hours, so I was home late in the morning when Tim had requested to be awakened--the ungodly time of 10:30 AM.

So at the appointed half-hour, I knocked on the door and got no response.

I knocked again and heard a rumbled "Go 'way!"

I knocked again and opened the door. "Go 'way!"

"You asked to be awakened at 10:30. It is now 10:30. Be awakened."

"Go 'way."

"I shall not go away until my duty to awaken you is complete."

"Bring me ocelot."

"What?"

"Bring me ocelot or go 'way."

Sighing, I stepped back out of the guest room and hollered, "nellorat, do we have an ocelot?"

"I have a Stieff ocelot downstairs. Do you want me to get it?"

"I think it's necessary, yes."

Within a minute, the ocelot was presented to our layabed guest. He looked at it, blinked hard, sat up. "Okay, that's an ocelot."

And that was how I woke Tim with an ocelot.



After Tim's death two years ago today, his cremated remains were divided into four parts. One part was buried by my parents in a very pleasant cemetary near our home in Chapel Hill. One was given to his love, trueheart. One part was given to my sister, terby, and I received the fourth part. I believe the parts given to trueheart and terby have been scattered, but I have always felt that some part of what remains should be displayed, both as a specific honor to the deceased and as memento mori.

Thus, in the guest room, which is also my study, I put together a small memorial for Tim, complete with guardian ocelot. Sleep well, Tim.

Comments

[neonnurse.livejournal.com]

Your brother sounds like a great guy. I'm sorry for your loss. The ocelot story and memorial are wonderful, and I hope my family is that creative on my behalf one of these days.

[womzilla.livejournal.com]

But not soon, I hope!

[neonnurse.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I hope not either!

[eleanor.livejournal.com]

Kevin, that was lovely.

And a happy belated birthday.

[docbrite.livejournal.com]

Love to you all ... and the ocelot, of course.

[serenityseeker.livejournal.com]

Thank you Kevin

[nellorat.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you wrote this up. It's sweet. And it makes me proud of my part in it--not every wife would be able to deliver an ocelot on demand!

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

You're all marvellous... thank you for sharing!!

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

that's really great. *hug*

[sturgeonslawyer.livejournal.com]

Beautiful. I miss Tim too ... and I'm terribly sorry that our last interaction was on less-than-positive terms. I was a jerk, just the once, and hurt his feelings in one of those "But-I-thought-you-were-my-friend" ways.

One of those lessons life teaches everybody, that you may not get the chance to apologize.