“Leah was my absolute best friend. She was an only child too,...

“Leah was my absolute best friend.  She was an only child too, so it was this next level sisterly bond.  Her boyfriend Rasual became like a brother as well.  He valued Leah’s friendships, so we became like a family.  One night the two of them were driving home and lost control of their vehicle.  Both of them passed away, instantly.  My grieving process was very hard.  People were worried about me.  The everyday, basic things became so difficult.  I wasn’t cooking dinner for my kids.  I wasn’t painting very much.  Then one year after their death, I got invited to exhibit at an art show in Cleveland.  It was on the anniversary of Leah’s funeral.  I’m not even sure why I accepted the invitation.  While I was getting ready in my hotel room, I remember saying a little prayer.  I said: ‘Leah, I love you so much, but help me get through tonight without talking about you.  Just one night.’  I arrived at the event and noticed that I’d be sharing my wall with another artist.  His name was Bonic.  He was deep in conversation with someone.  The first thing I noticed was his voice.  It was a very strong voice.  And it was so familiar.  I introduced myself, and told him: ‘This is going to sound crazy, but your voice sounds just like my friend who passed away.’  And he said: ‘Do you mean Rasual?’  It turns out that he’d known Leah and Rasual for years.  He recognized me from their memorial service.  That was over a year ago.  Since then, Bonic and I have done so many collaborations.  We’ve been all over the world together.  He’s great with my kids.  He’s my soul mate.  Without question, he was the reason I was at that show.  At the end of that night, I went back to my hotel room, and I wrote an entry in my journal.  I wrote the date, and a single line: ‘Leah, did you send him to me?’"                    
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