Rest in Peace

Smokey passed away last night, on the month of his fifteenth birthday. 

Arguably the family patriarch after my father's passing, Smokey became the center of attention at gatherings around Easter, Halloween, Christmas and New Year's Day. Then there were his birthdays, which were a cause for friends and family to gather until my sister's passing. Any excuse to dress him up and fill my camera, phone and Facebook page with photos and video clips. 

Smokey took it in stride, liked some of the hats and even appeared proud in certain outfits. His pet-sized Snuggie made  him look regal, and I'm sure he knew it.

During times when my sister and I didn't speak, he was the great unifying force from his very first year of existence. He inspired short films, memes and even poems. My strangest muse ever. Even after my sister lost most of her eyesight to Friedreich's ataxia, she still wanted me to send videos after we got together.

My unfulfilled dream was to have him and my sister work as Walmart greeters. First, because I wanted to see Smokey in a blue vest, and more importantly, because people would have regularly gone up and talked to my sister, which was not an easy thing to achieve being confined to a wheelchair.

This picture of me and Smokey was taken just after he received two detached retinas, while he could still voluntarily close his eyes, before his eyes were removed, before he started having seizures. He still had moments of peace, but this was the last time he really looked like he was at peace. 

Yesterday afternoon, I was sharing photos with Molly from the last fifteen years, including from his fifth birthday party, when they first met. She called him "My son" and "The best dog." I sent old photos to her, which she immediately shared with all her friends.

My Mom regularly called him a pain in the ass and faithfully doted on him. She minimized time away from him and ultimately refused anyone else looking after him after his eye problems started. Mom fed him goat's milk, anti-seizure medication and faithfully took him to the vet for checkups and vitamin B shots throughout the pandemic. She was awake with him during his final seizure around 3 AM. He was buried this morning with help from my uncle Steve. Her sisters have already seen her. I'll be stopping by tomorrow.

Smokey Moltalvo-Parenteau. 2006-2021. Adopted son and grandson. My de facto nephew. YouTube star. My own personal Instagram influencer. The only family member who never complained about being photographed.

The fact there will never be another photo of him taken after today seems so wrong.