When I was around 14 years old a few of my friends had had enough of school. We would go through the short cut of the Old Road near on the Driver Crescent/Warspite Avenue entrance and head to Beauzami Cresent in Ascot Park. It was the kind of short cut that we were always warned about, but we grew up here and we'd be alright.We'd always ended up at the Carters, next door to the Fonotis.
Alex was one of the counsellors in our Bishopric. He and his wife Desiree only had baby girl Kehayla then and we would skip school there for days in a row. In hindsight, I can see that he wanted to keep us safe. If we weren't going to go to school, at least he knew we were safe. I'm pretty sure my kids won't be reading this so I won't have to explain the wagging haha.
One day he sat us down and said, "Bishop said you have to go back to school". And we did - because we knew that he didn't have to let us stay at his house and he got a bit of flack from Bishop so we listened.
This morning Alex passed away after battling cancer.
It's literally been years since I saw him last. He was part of the circle when my son was given a name and blessing (like a christening) at church. That's how much he meant to us.
We would laugh at him. He would laugh at us and then all laugh together. He would talk about his passion that is softball, and he was one of the first guys that respected that I could speak rugby and we'd have great conversations.
One day I remember saying to him,
"Hey, can you see this mark on the back of my leg? It won't come off."
"It's called soap and hot water Babe, try it some time!" or he would say things like "You better watch those taro legs are going to get you one day." Man, I should've listened!
I went and visited the family once when I home in Porirua. Desiree was one of my Seminary Teachers so I tried to stop by whenever I was home. I walked into the house and sat there waiting and there was some washing. So I decided to just start folding it as you do. He came out and said "When you're done with that, there's some dishes in the kitchen waiting for you."
That's home.
The Carter home was one of my safety nets when I was a teenager. When he was in Coach mode, he was at his best. I remember when he was teaching one of the girls how to drive. The first thing he said was "The car is a big weapon. Never forget that and you'll always drive safely."
Always remember those that influence your life for the better. I'm sorry I never said thank you but I hope you feel it now.
I'm glad you're not in pain anymore. Say hi to Dad for me and I'm sure you'll have a great welcoming committee and there'll be somewhere up there for you to play softball I'm sure.
Rest easy old guy. Thank you times a million. Till sweet reunions in the heavens.
Love you Xx
