Linda, by Michael Davis – Straight No Chaser #170

June 4, 2010 Michael Davis 1 Comment

This is the second time in around a year or so that I’m compelled to write about a Linda. My beloved cousin Linda died last year and I wrote about her. This past Saturday Linda Gold passed away. Linda was the beloved wife of Mike Gold and wonderful mother to Adriane Nash. I’ve been a wreak all week. Linda’s passing has really upset me and completely thrown me off my game. No easy task. I hate to fly but there I was at the airport on Tuesday about to get on a plane to take me to Connecticut for Linda’s memorial when I saw a message from my dear friend Kai telling me the memorial was next week.

It clearly said when the memorial was in an earlier message. I read that message over and over and still did not see the date.  Before I got Kai’s message, while I was waiting for the plane I could not stop crying. I’m sure I looked like a crazy person sitting there at the US Air terminal sobbing like a little girl. Twice someone asked me what was wrong.

I cry all the time. I cry when I hear ‘One for my baby’ by Frank Sinatra. ‘You are not alone’ by Michael Jackson. I cry when I see the closing scene in the film ‘My best friends wedding’ and I’ve seen that movie dozens of time and I cry every single time.

The only other time I cry is when I lose family. When I heard Linda died I cried.

I’m crying now.

Linda, Mike and Adriane are as much my family as my sister is. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I was always glad to see glad to see Linda. Always. There was never a time when we were at a group lunch or dinner and I didn’t want to sit next to her, Adriane or Martha. Linda was just as charming when she was upset about something as when she was happy about something, a trait you find in very few people. I know a lot of smart people and Linda was one of the smartest. She had a dangerous kind of intelligence-the kind of intelligence that would destroy you if you dared to let her small stature and gentle nature fool you into thinking she was ignorant on whatever you were stupid enough to challenge her on.

I’ve tried to call Mike and Adriane a number of times. I can’t do it. Each time I go to call the waterworks fall. Both Mike and Adriane would hear me and try and console me-that’s what family does. I can’t do that to them, Linda is a huge lost to me but the lost to Mike and Adriane, I can’t even imagine. I have to at least try and be strong for them.

Mike, your wife was and will always be a treasure. You are one of the coolest people I know and she made you even cooler. Adriane, your mom was one of the three people in the world who could shut me up or make me laugh. You and Martha being the other two. I know this is hard for you guys but like the song says, you are not alone.

If I can be so bold as to try and find one word to describe dear Linda, it would be just like her name…Gold.