Image from WikipediaApril 01, 1999 was the day I stopped enjoying April Fools.
All April Fools does for me now is bring back memories of how much I miss my big brother, Bob. Even though it’s been 9 years it still brings a tear to my eye and a lump in my throat.
We had a strange childhood as we four brothers were left on the side walk to be picked up by the children’s Aid in Toronto Canada while our parents drove off. Well four boys, aged 3-8 are hard to place in one home so we were split up and our lives were never the same.
Even though we were separated we did get to see each other once a year, usually in the summer.
Bob and I had a special bond even before we were separated and it only got stronger the more we were apart. When we finally became adults and were on our own we chose to live together and started catching up on the life we had missed.
I am a bit of fishing fanatic even though I my heart issues doesn’t allow me to get out as much as I would like and Bob was a golf fanatic. Bob told me on numerous occasions that he would live in a box on Yonge Street Toronto as long as he could keep is golf memberships.
He also said that when his time was up he would like to die on the golf course where he always found comfort and that’s exactly what he did.
April 01, 1999, 7th hole Robert Mann died of a massive coronary.
When I got the phone call I was floored and then I realized it was April 1st and then I got really angry that anyone would play such a sick joke, even if it was April Fools. Wish it was a joke, I think I might have gotten over it by now.
Bob you are missed
April 1st, 2008 at 9:41 pm
That is a very touching story. God bless.