Dear Manong Mark,

Sorry I shared the fart story at your wake… for some reason that was the only one that came to mind…

I wish I would’ve shared with everyone how I used to follow you all over the place and you never complained… or how you gave me a shoebox full of baseball cards so I could start my collection, and you weren’t even mad when I scratched your Will Clark error card (we’re A’s fans, afterall). I wish I would’ve shared how you “tested” all the moves you learned in martial arts on me by putting your hand out and saying “let me show you something.” You made me tough as nails, cuz, thanks. Or how I thought molding my piece of American cheese into a ball and eating it was a good idea, and you tried to warn me that it wouldn’t taste good, but I didn’t listen. I still fold my cheese into four pieces like you showed me after. Or how you knocked on the window of a guy who did me wrong in HS. He’s lucky he wasn’t home. Manong Mark, you even consoled my HS ex BF even if you couldn’t stand my new dude! Just days before u left us, I was showing off to my students that I knew escrima. On Halloween, I told ghost stories about “my cousins friends” at stow lake. I wish I would’ve called you as much as I thought of you, because if I did, I would’ve called you everyday. You have influenced who I am so much, there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t do something that reminds me of you. Love you, Manong.

Chris

PS Thank you for putting your butt out the window when you had to fart in the car; even if it flew right back in, I know you had our well being in mind.