We were on opposite ends of the age spectrum for the Strong Bad emails, but we both watched them. I remember a trip to High Cliff with one of his grade school friends, debating the pronunciation of "fhqwhgads". Those were the days...
Once, back then, he showed up outside my dorm with Mom and Dad, and was so excited to see me that he ran right into me. I didn't budge, but he went flying off me and landed on his butt on the ground. He got right back up, and hugged me. I hugged back. I used to hug him so tight that he would lift off the ground and complain that it hurt. While our height difference disappeared, our weight difference never went away. We used to joke around that we looked like the number 10.
When Mom wanted to know about a suit I had bought (which was gray), I told her I would send her a picture. I sent this instead:
Years later, when Alan started to listen to more rap and techno, I used to tease him by rapping this song on top of his music. Most of it was musically simplistic enough that it overlaid just fine. That or the Kirby music.
What I would give for another, "Oh, God. Stop it, Hyung." What I would give for another chance to hug him, to hold onto him. But every day, I strive to move on, to make Alan proud of me like I was of him.
so so lovely.
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