This photo is among the last I have of my Papa and me together before he left for Italy, not to return into my life for 30 years. I can still remember the feel of his shoulder, his arms holding me up, the smell of his aftershave. Papa did return to my life, and we had a rich and loving relationship for another 29 years. When he passed on May 4, 2021, I laid my head on his shoulder, smelling the same aftershave, feeling the same bones and muscle of his arms, the firmness of his cheek. My heart yearns for him now, as it did then in this photo. There are no arms, no shoulder, no heart like a father’s for his daughter.
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