(6/7) “Mickey had always been a bit of a miracle. He’d lived...

(6/7) “Mickey had always been a bit of a miracle. He’d lived with HIV for so long that the doctors were studying him. He used to come back smiling from every appointment, and tell me there was nothing to report. One time I asked to go with him,  just to see for myself. They ran a routine test that day to see if the medication was damaging his organs. And the results showed that his liver was failing. The specialist said he had 48 hours to live. I sobbed all night in the parking garage. But Mickey told me not to worry: ‘I’ve got to finish that mural,’ he said. ‘So I’m going to get out of here.’ And he was right. He somehow recovered and they let him come home. He worked on the mural every day. I showered him with gifts during this time. I got him a set of nice towels. And I put a lemon tree in his living room, so that his whole apartment smelled like lemons. He kept promising that we’d go to Puerto Vallarta, but I think both of us knew it would never happen. When he finally finished the mural, it looked amazing. But Mickey had grown so weak. I was at his apartment every day: drawing his bath, fixing his meals, making sure he took his medication. He decided to go to hospice on the day I changed his diaper for the first time. I told him that he’d just be there for a few weeks. Just long enough to build up a little strength, so that he could come home. It was the only time I ever lied to him. He was given a nice little room with a view of the garden. And he held on for two more weeks. The last thing he did was apologize. He could barely speak, but he said: ‘I’m so sorry, Robert. I know how hard this will be. Because I remember when Michael died.’ I told him not to worry. Because grief was such a small price to pay for our friendship. At the very end his eyes were wide open. He kept staring at the ceiling, like he was seeing something. And even though he never said it, I know it was Michael. Michael was up there, saying: ‘Don’t be scared. It’s time to come here.’ Finally Mickey closed his eyes. And he started taking these long breaths. With long pauses. And the pauses kept getting longer. Until he took one last deep breath, and he didn’t breathe out.”