Note: I wrote most of this last night just after
midnight but before I knew. I wrote it
while waiting for updates, but needed to get to
sleep; grand-twin baby girls need me
at full-strength later today.
Still...
At one point, I felt I was sitting with Vinnie,
and we laughed, as always. I wrote all my
thoughts down, and, after having read them over,
decided to keep editing to a bare minimum.
And to share this.
Here is the result.
We love you.
The Daily News
1 Vinnie, this is me to you, last night, just before nine.
2 I was minding my own business.
3 I was trying to watch some O.J. Simpson movie with David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian, and with John Travolta as Robert Shapiro.
4 You, my friend, would have seen the humor in that.
5 I think Rodney Allen Rippy played O.J. but I'm not sure.
6 I'm wrong.
7 It was Cuban Gooding, who was an angel in What Dreams May Come.
8 I like to remember him that way.
9 "Juice, Juice, a will?" ---David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian. I swear to you, man. That just happened.
10 I prefer David Schwimmer as Ross, whose most famous line of all time was this: "Pivot!"
11 I guess what I'm trying to tell you, man, is that if you are going, it all continues, and you can continue to laugh and make us all smile.
12 I'm crying right now. I ain't got no Kleenex, bruh, but I do have the sleeve of a black hoodie, complete with Burney Falls on it.
13 I Shall be Released is playing in the background. It is blasting off the TV, and it is filling the room. It never sounded so beautiful.
14 This stuff is real, Vinnie.
15 I want you to live, my spiritual friend.
16 Did you know that Rodney Allen Rippy ran for mayor of Compton in 2013? He bowed out, but who knew?
17
18 I'm doing this because I know hospitals don't want a gazillion people crowding in when someone famous is there.
19 So just pretend I am sitting next to you knitting.
20 If you imagine me knitting, you'll run for heaven dude, just sayin'. Maybe I should put this yarn down.
"You call yourself yarn? I've seen better yarns from students when they arrive late."
M'bad.
21 In some ways, I feel I am finally connecting with you in a telepathic way.
22 I sure hope so. It's comforting.
23 In fact, a bit of peace has joined us up in here. It's nice to know we are both spiritual.
24 There are people who don't want you to leave though man, so if you can, work it. If anyone can, you can.
25 I'll tell you what. If you come back, maybe we could have a huge fundraising gig for you and yours. I really thought that all of the dudes you jammed with over the years would have a concert for you at some point. We were all secretly moving in that direction. At least I thought we were. Luper and I talked about it at one point.
26 What was that?
27 Would I put it together?
28 Oh HAILLLLLLNAH.
29 Just trying to bring a light touch here dude.
30 I am praying for you, but I am praying for all your family and friends still more. You are the dude. Always have been, always will be. The little ones need to know that.
31 This might sound corny, but last night I got hold of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and listened to it.
32 I got caught up at a point in the song that always caught me up through the years. I'd like to share it with you right now, my good friend:
...
LINUS:
HAPPINESS IS HAVING A SISTER.
LUCY:
SHARING A SANDWICH.
LUCY AND LINUS:
GETTING ALONG.
ALL:
HAPPINESS IS SINGING TOGETHER WHEN DAY IS THROUGH,
AND HAPPINESS IS THOSE WHO SING WITH YOU.
HAPPINESS IS MORNING AND EVENING,
DAYTIME AND NIGHTTIME TOO.
CHARLIE BROWN:
FOR HAPPINESS IS ANYONE AND ANYTHING AT ALL
THAT'S LOVED BY YOU.
(The cast filters out, waving, "good night" to Charlie Brown, but Lucy stays,
and stands in silence for a moment before finally saying:)
LUCY:
You're a good man, Charlie Brown.
-He smiles, and the lights go down-
33 Here.
34 Gottago.
35 See you again.
36 Love, love, love.
37 And Peace.
3 I was trying to watch some O.J. Simpson movie with David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian, and with John Travolta as Robert Shapiro.
4 You, my friend, would have seen the humor in that.
5 I think Rodney Allen Rippy played O.J. but I'm not sure.
6 I'm wrong.
7 It was Cuban Gooding, who was an angel in What Dreams May Come.
8 I like to remember him that way.
9 "Juice, Juice, a will?" ---David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian. I swear to you, man. That just happened.
10 I prefer David Schwimmer as Ross, whose most famous line of all time was this: "Pivot!"
11 I guess what I'm trying to tell you, man, is that if you are going, it all continues, and you can continue to laugh and make us all smile.
12 I'm crying right now. I ain't got no Kleenex, bruh, but I do have the sleeve of a black hoodie, complete with Burney Falls on it.
13 I Shall be Released is playing in the background. It is blasting off the TV, and it is filling the room. It never sounded so beautiful.
14 This stuff is real, Vinnie.
15 I want you to live, my spiritual friend.
16 Did you know that Rodney Allen Rippy ran for mayor of Compton in 2013? He bowed out, but who knew?
17
18 I'm doing this because I know hospitals don't want a gazillion people crowding in when someone famous is there.
19 So just pretend I am sitting next to you knitting.
20 If you imagine me knitting, you'll run for heaven dude, just sayin'. Maybe I should put this yarn down.
"You call yourself yarn? I've seen better yarns from students when they arrive late."
M'bad.
21 In some ways, I feel I am finally connecting with you in a telepathic way.
22 I sure hope so. It's comforting.
23 In fact, a bit of peace has joined us up in here. It's nice to know we are both spiritual.
24 There are people who don't want you to leave though man, so if you can, work it. If anyone can, you can.
25 I'll tell you what. If you come back, maybe we could have a huge fundraising gig for you and yours. I really thought that all of the dudes you jammed with over the years would have a concert for you at some point. We were all secretly moving in that direction. At least I thought we were. Luper and I talked about it at one point.
26 What was that?
27 Would I put it together?
28 Oh HAILLLLLLNAH.
29 Just trying to bring a light touch here dude.
30 I am praying for you, but I am praying for all your family and friends still more. You are the dude. Always have been, always will be. The little ones need to know that.
31 This might sound corny, but last night I got hold of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and listened to it.
32 I got caught up at a point in the song that always caught me up through the years. I'd like to share it with you right now, my good friend:
...
LINUS:
HAPPINESS IS HAVING A SISTER.
LUCY:
SHARING A SANDWICH.
LUCY AND LINUS:
GETTING ALONG.
ALL:
HAPPINESS IS SINGING TOGETHER WHEN DAY IS THROUGH,
AND HAPPINESS IS THOSE WHO SING WITH YOU.
HAPPINESS IS MORNING AND EVENING,
DAYTIME AND NIGHTTIME TOO.
CHARLIE BROWN:
FOR HAPPINESS IS ANYONE AND ANYTHING AT ALL
THAT'S LOVED BY YOU.
(The cast filters out, waving, "good night" to Charlie Brown, but Lucy stays,
and stands in silence for a moment before finally saying:)
LUCY:
You're a good man, Charlie Brown.
-He smiles, and the lights go down-
35 See you again.
36 Love, love, love.
37 And Peace.
~H~
We love you, Vinnie!
fin.
No comments:
Post a Comment