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But he didn’t knohat to do or say or think, except I miss you, Francis, I’m sorry…
He saw Madelaine rise to her feet aave a quick nod There was aof cassettes, and then the er and the Silver Bullet Band
The lyrics came at him like an old friend… that kind of music just soothes your soul…
Music swelled in the church, wildly inappropriate, and it took him back to his childhood, back to the crazy days when he and Francis were together all the tis like this one, and laughed to theain on that old turntable in the living room
He looked at Madelaine, and saw that she was laughing through her tears He saw the glassy, faraway look in her eyes and knew that she was re Francis Their Francis Not the quiet, serious priest, but
the gangly, blond kid with the blue, blue eyes and the s as tomorrow
In the space of a heartbeat, he rehts when they’d laughed and the s they’d cried
And he couldn’t iine why he’d ever left all that, or why he’d never co his eyes, and within seconds, he couldn’t focus The glittering church swa but a sht He knew that he’d remember the smell of this church forever—that froreens and roses, he would think of his big brother
I’m home, Franco…He squeezed his eyes shut, unashaain, big brother, and I’ anywhere this time
Thoughts crowded his head and he tried to sort them out, tried to come up with the words he should offer to the man he loved so deeply, but in the end he realized it didn’t ies or memories—it was about the simplicity of love
Just that Love A brother’s love, a father’s love, a fao away, not ever It stayed there inside of you, tangled in moments and memories
He opened his eyes slowly, saw Madelaine and Lina through the burning glaze of his tears I’ll see it through with them, Franco I swear to God I will
The ain, blanketing the church Angel looked at the crowd, and realized that they weren’t strangers at all He saw old Mrs Costanza froe on Tenth Street, and Mr Fiorelli, the pharmacist…
He focused on Madelaine and Lina, gave theh When I look around, I see limpses of the man he became I can see the way he touched all your lives, and I kno much you all must havehi him love you The world will be a little dimmer place without hione … because he’s inside all of us”
Chapter Twenty-eight