How the hell do you pronounce 'pho' and nice pants...

I don't have a lifetime or even years of memories filled with the joy that was (and will always be) Jason, but there are two that will be with me forever. The Tuesday before his surgery, Jason wasn't himself. He wasn't skipping though life and bouncing across the web, so I picked up the phone and said, "What gives, kiddo?" A bad pain day, I said I was taking him out to dinner and that he could tell me no but he wasn't going to get away with it. He said he wanted pho. I'd never had it and thought what the hell?! With a smile, new sweater and kiss for me at the door of Pho 95 here in Denver, I'm sitting like a deer in the headlights, staring at a pho menu and just ordered what he was having. This enormous plate of shrubs/veggies/sprouts lands on the table and I ask him what it's for, and Jason's like, "They go in the soup." Okay, cool. So when our pho arrives, I take some of the basil and...put it in my soup. Jason's sitting there, face half down in his soup, looking up at me with a smirk. Sipping pho. And I'm like, "WHAT!?" And Jason, plain as day, says, "You know, some people take the leaves OFF the stems." Embarrassed as hell and as red as my hair, I picked the soggy Thai basil tree OUT of my soup and pick the wet leaves off one by one. With Jason snickering the whole time. Punk.

The other memory is visiting him the night before his surgery in the hospital. I walked into his room and there's Jason, decked out in Hospital's Finest - drawstring pants and a pimpin' green shirt. I drop my purse and climb into bed with him. He took my hand, kissed me, rang his fingers through my hair and said, "I'm glad you're here." And I said, "Me, too." And for the first time in my life, I didn't feel like I had to say another word. (He was also very proud of his "awesome seersucker pants." And I have to admit - they WERE awesome and matched his Green Lantern ring nicely...)

Jason is joy and always will me - I think there's a reason his name starts with a J. And I'm so very grateful to everyone who allows me the gift of knowing him a little bit more by sharing each of their memories.

~Erika Napoletano (the "other" Erika...)