You meant so much to so many.
Oh Hao… how could I possibly sum up over 25 years of memories? I suppose I’ll start at the end by saying I will forever cherish the hours we spent together during those last weeks of his life. The conversations, the tears, the honesty, the laughs, the memories shared, and even those quiet moments just sitting together; all will stay in my heart forever. Ok, ok, so I guess Hao was kind of forced into enduring my incessant chatter given that he was hooked up to machines & escaping wasn’t an option- however, I’d like to believe he valued that time together as well. The year Hao entered my life stands out in my mind. I can clearly remember my very young husband coming home from work (the first CPA firm straight out of college) and very excitedly telling me he met this “really cool dude” named Hao. If you know my husband, you know that him getting excited about making a new friend is a pretty rare thing- so right away I knew this Hao guy must be pretty special. I was able to meet this “Hao guy” soon after Christian’s revelation and it was confirmed; he was indeed a very special guy. The first night we went out together was one Hao teased me about for the next 25 years. Back in the day I was not a very big drinker. Combine that with a tendency to not want to eat before going out so I could wear a way too tight dress and a fairly weak stomach, and, well, its no surprise that a night full of Jagarbombs might not end well. I found myself sandwiched next to Hao in the middle of a horseshoe booth; people on both sides of us, making a quick escape to the bathroom impossible. As Hao is talking to me I can feel those Jagarbombs trying their best to come back up where they originally went in. I notice he is staring at me, waiting for my contribution to this conversation, but I am refusing to open my mouth (for very good reason). I ALMOST won the fight…almost. I got my napkin up to my mouth quickly, thinking I was TOTALLY stealth and nobody noticed. Hao just gives me this little half grin and points at my shirt saying “So, I think you’ve got a little something right there…” and then without pause he wipes at my shirt with his napkin and laughs like it was no big deal. He made a situation in which I could have been mortified something we both just laughed at. And that was typical Hao; he could make you feel better about things even when you were at your worst. After that first night out we spent the next couple of decades evolving from friends into family. Some years we would talk to & see each other several times a week. Some years we would see each other only a few times a month. But regardless of how often we hung out, I always knew Hao would be there for me in a second if I needed him. When I totaled my car coming home from work, Hao showed up at my house the next day with the car he had just bought for himself 2 days prior, telling me to drive it until I could buy myself a new car. When my son Aidan was born, Hao was the first one waiting at the hospital to see us and then ran to get me a cheeseburger because I was starving. The things both big and little that I am grateful for are too long to list, I just hope he knew how very appreciative I was of everything he did for me. Thank you Hao for being you; one of the only people I could fight with and then laugh with from one minute to the next. Thank you for bringing Ana into my life, who I adore and consider one of my closest friends. Thank you for letting me be Auntie to your babies and not getting mad at me for always overdoing it with sweets and gifts. Thank you Hao for your love and your friendship. Hao, I miss you like crazy and my heart will forever be missing a piece.
