A Visit from Tony

A Visit from Tony

Last night I had a very special visitor, my nephew Tony. I haven’t seen him in eight years. He hadn’t changed at all. Still had the same smile, and the same beautiful eyes that sparkled when he was laughed.

At first, I was afraid that he didn’t recognize my voice. You see, Tony was blind from the age of two from a tumor that had engulfed his optic nerves. Although this sounds tragic, it was never a handicap for Tony. He learned to see from a touch, a sound, aromas and the breezes in the air. When he was younger, he always knew when I would walk near him. Maybe it was my perfume or lotion, or just me, I don’t really know. He would always say, “Is that you Aunt Pam?”

Last night, after 8 years, he wasn’t so sure. I said “it’s me Tony, Aunt Pam, remember, me and Uncle Mike?” “Uncle Mike always said (in a very deep voice)….Hey boy, what’s up?” An enormous grin came over his face as the memories rolled through his little mind and he gave me the biggest grin I have ever seen. He put his little arms around my neck and said “I love you Aunt Pam.” The tears began to flow because I knew he had remembered me.

He brought all his favorite toys with him to his visit. My mom had made Tony a box of home made wooden blocks. She cut them herself, with each block being a different shape and size. Tony loved these blocks, he would stack them to make towers, and line them up for fences. He would spend so much time feeling each one. He knew each block personally and when he needed a certain size for his project, he would search the box until he found the right one. He also brought his little toy cement mixer truck. My husband Mike drove a mixer and when he was working near his house, he would stop by and let Tony sit in the cab and pull the chain for the horn. Tony always got a big kick out of this, so we bought him a miniature mixer to play with.

Tony climbed up and sat next to me as I read him a story. He loved stories, whether they were read to him or played on a tape recorder. His dad would always set a tape player on the side of his bed and he would listen to a story every night as he went to sleep. Each story would bring Tony into a new and exciting world. A world without darkness, a place where he could see, he could run and play. He could catch the tigers, and he could battle the enemies. His favorite stories of all were the ones my dad would tell him. Papaw would make up stories as he went along. Tony would get involved in the fantasy and together they would explore new places and new adventures. The stories would go on for hours. You had better be sure to remember the story because Tony would want you to tell him the same one the next day, and he knew if the story had changed.

I was very sad when Tony left. I woke up and still had tears in my eyes. You see, Tony died when he was five. The cancer took him away from us when he was just a child, but he visits me often in my dreams. I know that he is just letting me know that he is still with us, looking out for us and that he is happy. I had a great visit with Tony, I miss him dearly and I hope that he comes again real soon.