Thinking I was grown and some ride or die chick, I got into some serious trouble that, at the time, I couldn’t even tell my mama about. I wasn’t able to tell her until years later, when all the dust had settled.
The trouble I’d gotten into threatened all my hopes and possibilities for the future. I couldn’t talk to anyone in my family and I didn’t know who I could tell. My friend Kelisha and I went to the only person we could think of: her brother Vincent.
Vincent handled it. He handled all of it. He never asked questions. He didn’t give me some speech about how he was disappointed in me. He just told me to make sure I didn’t squander this opportunity and go do something with my life.
We’d see each other sporadically, down through the years, and were removed enough from the incident that we could joke about it. Every time I saw him, though, I thanked him. And every time, he smiled that smile that made all the girls melt and told me to keep doing my thing.
One time, I ran into him while I was with Mama. Playfully, she pushed him and told him he should’ve brought me right to her and made me tell her what happened. He gave her a big bear hug, flashing that smile again, and told her he did what he was supposed to do.
Vincent was kind and caring. In my youth, he was my brother through my friendship with his amazing sister and he showed me what it means to be a brother and show up for your sister. Vincent showed me what it means to be a real king.
I am not here without Vincent McConnell. Full stop. I am not here without the love, support and second chance he gave me. I will forever be grateful and I promise not to squander it. I promise to keep doing my thing.
May the finest and flyest angels carry him to his rest. May his memory be a blessing. May God cover his family and those who loved and knew him best. And may we all strive to be a little more like Vincent in the ways that matter most. 
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