Big Brandon

A neighbor of my Mom's had a grandson named Brandon that visited her every summer.  We all called him Big Brandon.  This nickname was not in regards to his size or the fact that he was older than Brett, but because my Mom had another neighbor with a grandson also named Brandon that was Cal's age.  Every summer Brett looked forward to Brandon's visits.  They shared a lot of the same interests in the world of Yugi-Oh, Pokemon and video games.  Brandon loved to swim in the lake at his Grandma's and Brett would join along.  There were also many times that we went with him and his Grandma to her son's condo to enjoy their pool.  

My favorite memories of Brett and Brandon were at our family garage sales.  We had one yearly at my Mom's and the Heinisch children sold not only some of their toys, but also cookies, pop and one year hot dogs.  Brandon could be counted on to be the first customer of the day.  He also had been known to help them with their sales.  I don't know if Brandon's Grandmother enjoyed our garage sales as much.  I am sure she spent more than she bargained for there, but the boys had such a great time together it would have been hard for her to say no to the new purchases or the "just one more cookie" plea.

As life moved on and Brandon and his grandparents aged, the summer trips to the lake shortened.  Brandon worked at his father's family business during his high school years and his Grandparents' health declined.  By the time Brett finished middle school, his Grandmother died and her children put the house on the market.  Although we hadn't seen Brandon in a couple of years, the reality that he was never coming back always tugged a little at my heart strings.

Today my Mom found out that Brandon died over the weekend.  I didn't quite believe it at first, figuring it was just some incorrect gossip that one of the neighbor ladies had heard.  Unfortunately, she was correct. As I watched the video tribute online that the funeral home posted, I began to cry.  Although I realized awhile ago that we would probably never cross his path again, there was always the thought that we could.  Brandon was a good friend to Brett and I appreciated that about him.  Twenty-two is young to leave this world.  I hope that he is reunited with his beloved Grandmother and they are enjoying their lake house in the sky.