ADDIO FILIPPO

As I have written earlier in this blog, which you will see below this, just before my trip to Germany I got the news that Gabriella Chinnici's father, Filippo Chinnici, had died in Palermo. I was devastated. I had been thinking about her step-father-in-law Gianni, as well as about Fran as the second anniversary of Fran's death approached, and I felt ill equipped to deal with yet another death.

I will not try to say that I knew him well, I only met him twice, both times at Friend's Pizzeria, which Gabriella's husband (and Fran's cousin) Fabrizio owned and ran. Both times I met him, he seemed a kind and gentle man. The second time was at the party for the closing of the Pizzeria, which was a sad occasion, and I remember he thanked me after I stumbled over my thanks to Friends for feeding us so many times during our first year in Sicily, and how they had truly become friends. Indeed, it was at this meal that we discovered that Fabrizio and Fran might be cousins.

I did not know him well, but I do know his daughter well, her love of music, her love of family, her willingness, indeed her eagerness to help me when I lost Fran. I remember clearly seeing her in the parking lot of the central post office, and she noticed the pain in my face, and asked what was wrong, and when I told her about Fran, she could not believe it. The next night she insisted I dine at her house with her family, and we spent the evening in fond recollection. I have eaten at that table many times since, and watched Palermo play many soccer matches at their house, and soon will be going to watch their son Sergio referee a soccer match in Santa Margherita.

I believe that Fabrizio and Gabriella have two wonderful kids, and the kids are wonderful because of the parenting skills of their parents. And Fabrizio and Gabriella do so well because of the models they had when they were parented, Fabrizio by Giovanna, and Gabriella by Filippo. That is a fine testament to the type of man he was. We need more like him in this world, and his presence will be missed.

I did go to the one month anniversary mass that was held in Palermo. I rode up with Fabrizzio, Sergio, and their beautiful and intelligent daughter Michella. As we rode through the cloudy and at times rainy valley, we were accompanied by a series of rainbows, rainbows marking the passing of a good man, and hope for the future.