Soul Brothers

I’m just as devastated as you’d imagine. After all the time we spent, a decade and a half living together, a lifetime worth of phone calls and texts, holidays, visits, and times we were together this year alone, it still wasn’t enough. Not even close. You and I as a duo was unlike any other. A thing we truly cherished and one we will continue to remember and miss fondly – only we’ll be doing it from different places now. We showed our love and admiration for each other through actions, but I’m going to use words this time.

I love you. You were my closest friend, my soul brother, and both of us know we’d do anything within our power for each other. You inspired courage in me through your ways and your life. You pursued every single dream you had, and implored me to do the same. I will. You were selfless, never keeping score in life (outside of board games, apparently), and gave yourself to others – not just those you felt deserved it. You gave everything you had for us all the way to the end, and endured things I never thought any human could, just so we could all have closure and be alright in the end. And then you still asked if you should keep going, if you had done enough.

You did more than enough. Before your sickness, during and now even after. You were a living phenomenon and I am glad to have known you all your life, and to have had you as my brother. My little brother. Fearless, feisty and fun Funmi.

You were a real-life cheerleader for me. All the way to the end, our lives were interwoven, eerily paralleled, and uniquely connected. A thing we loved so much about each other. And now, an immense, irreplaceable part of me is gone. I guess that’s the price you pay when you love so freely and endlessly and then it’s gone so soon. Too quickly. But everything we meant to each other and all the experiences we shared, I wouldn’t trade for anything. And now, in a spiritually replenished way, I look forward to how awesome, epic and amazing our reunion will be. That alone is enough to lift so much weight off me.

After meeting your friends, listening to stories, going through pictures and videos, it is clear to me how full your life was. You made so much out of it, even before you were sick. And you continued doing the most during and all the way to the end. The one thing I never got till now was how wide your smile was. It seems a perfect metaphorical mirror image of your heart and your life. I no longer fill cheated. You lived a full and inspiring life. I’m so proud of you.

And so I want you to know that I’ll be ok. I won’t falter because I know you are still cheering for me where you are. I love you. I’ll miss you. I’ll never forget you.

Femi Afelumo