Hatred in Death

The worst part of death is not the gnawing emptiness left in your heart as you fondly remember a person’s smile or the way they walked into a room and owned it with a hearty hello. It isn’t knowing that you’ll never receive another spine-cracking hug from them after weeks apart. Nor is it coming to the realization that one of the few people you could count on to drop everything and help you get out of a rough spot will never again answer their phone and say, “Be there in five.”

No, the hardest...