THE LONG GOODBYE

Almost three years ago, we lost our 20-year-old nephew Daniel to an accidental drug overdose. This is the first time I've been able to write about it.

Daniel was a lean kid with a tender heart, a shy smile and more baggage from his childhood than even his broad shoulders could bear. No matter how tall he grew, I never let him get too big to give his Aunt Terri a kiss and a hug.
We got the call on a Friday night that Daniel had gone home after his shift at Sonic, stopped breathing and was on a ve