Heartless People |Book 3|

Chapter 28

"To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die."

—Thomas Campbell

JENNIE

This was not about me, nor Dong-suk. However, a small part of me felt guilty that I had not done anything like this for him. Never had I seen so many Thais people in one place, outside of Thailand. Even a few of my people were here. It had only been two days, but some had flown in just in time, while others drove for hours just to make it to Chicago to attend the memorial overlooking the river. It was beautiful with nothing but green all around us, and a dark blue river below.

Sitting at the table nearest to the edge of the cliff, I stared at the large photo of Marco that stood beside the podium. It was the perfect summer day for this. The sun hid behind the clouds, but it was still warm, and even the wind had calmed, as if it too wanted to be respectful.

"Marco raised me, and since he brought me into his home I saw him not as my uncle, but as my father, who I loved...love dearly. Cheers," Nickhun finished taking his shot before he stepped back to Victoria.

She hugged and kissed him before she went up. It was the first time I had not seen her bother to wear heels. "Hello," she said into the microphone. "Many of you know me as Victoria Manoban, wife of Nickhun. Marco and I weren't very close. But he was kind to me. He made me laugh...he made everyone laugh without even trying. He had a dual nature to him; one moment he had this ability to freeze over the whole room, and the next, you forgot who he was. He had so much life in him, so much so that you almost forgot that he could die. People like him should live forever. Should live to see more grandchildren, more fights, more love. I'd like to think that he will, that he's here watching us all right now talking about him with a bowl of kettle corn in his lap because he's still afraid that Evelyn will find out that he got popcorn with extra butter and salt."

I hear a soft cry coming from the end of our table and I looked over to find Evelyn in Bambam's arms, laughing and crying at the same time.

"Marco Manoban was one of a kind, and the world is a darker place with him gone. We will never forget him. Cheers." She wiped her eyes and downed the liquid before she moved back to the table.

Bambam stood up walking to where Victoria had just stood with a bottle in his hands. I felt Lisa tense beside me as though she wasn't sure what to think of her brother speaking. Placing my hand on her thigh, she placed her hands over mine.

"I'm still at a loss for words," Bambam began. "To some of you, that might not be surprising. I've never known what to say or where to be or what to do. I just followed my father's lead and hoped, and prayed that I was making him proud. There is no denying the fact that my father and I had issues, I dare you to find any father and son who don't, but I knew he cared about me. Many men in his position don't have time to take care of their sons, but he did. He always made sure to check up on me when he could.

"He thought that I didn't know. Early every morning, before the sun was even up, he would check up on me. From the time I was eight until I turned eighteen...yes eighteen and I was not a tiny eighteen, he would come into my room and just talk to me about his day, about the stupid shit I had done. I looked forward to those brief moments when the door would open, and I was heartbroken when they stopped."

He dropped his head and nodded as though he was being told what to say, but I knew that he was just trying to force himself to stay strong.

"When I was fourteen, he was seriously injured and he'd lost a friend. When he was feeling better, and after he'd come back from his friend's funeral, he once again came into my room, leaned at the edge for the door and said, 'I don't plan on dying anytime soon, son, but if for some reason I do, you all better feast like Vikings and send me off like a fucking king. Oh, and you can let your mother know that I did trick her into dating me, and that I did kill her fish....but make sure I'm really dead before you tell her that."