Anyhow, July 28, this year, my father was found dead in his apartment. He had overdosed on Heroin. Yes these things do happen closer to home that a lot of people think. (Even in Great Neck, NY) We couldn't find him Friday night. He never answered his phone all of Saturday. We finally found him Sunday, when we had the police bust open the door. My mom tells me it was so cold in there, that his skin was blue. She said his nose was bleeding (from snorting the Heroin) there were also empty beer bottles in the garbage. This wasn't suicide though. His apartment was as neat as it always was, and his pills were laid out for the week. He didn't know he was going to die. Anyway, my dad left behind my mom, his 15 year-old-daughter (me), and my sister, Erica, who is 11.

Dad lived in an apartment because it was extremely close to work. My mom didn't want to move us out of Great Neck. The most touching part of this is that his Beagle, Snoopy, (who is mine now) stayed with my dad the entire time. He didn't bark at us when we were at the door or anything. He just lay on my father's chest. Anyway, they did an autopsy (even though my mom and I already knew how he died) and he was buried in St. Johns cemetery at the end of the week. The funeral was so hard. My boyfriend sang the Ave Maria. (He goes to LaGuardia and is an amazing opera singer.) His singing touched my heart. Sometimes I wish I've never heard him sing that, but I can't change it.

Jesus needed daddy with him. Daddy couldn't make it anymore. He needed to be with God. God took him a bit too early. Dad was 47. Drugs really do kill. I swear to myself I will never touch any of that crap, drugs, alcohol, NOTHING. I've lived through an experience to show me exactly how dangerous these things are. I'll never touch any of it. I owe it to Daddy, and to myself. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I know it is kind of long, but it's a life lesson. I LOVE YOU DADDY!