"Someone asked me how long it took to write this song. After careful reflection — two lifetimes, intertwined. The lifetime of Monik, and my own."
"Love like Monik and I shared is very rare. Most never find it or have a crossing the ocean fairy tale theme. But here is the hard side of finding it — be prepared to pay a price. A heavy price. And either you or your love will pay it. That is in death and separation. It is so wonderful to have, but equally as devastating to lose. And we ALL die."
"I am glad Monik went first. Only because I know it would have killed her to lose me. Days I should not have survived. But did. Not certain how I made it through those few days or why. But I am here."
"It was not a decision. It was a destiny to fulfill."
"She was stunning, inside and out, and she chose me. I am still and forever will be slack jawed."
"My sole reason for living was to make her smile."
"The days will pass. Do you want them to pass without her or with her."
"I don't know that I deserved it. But I know I gave it."
"Our only real addiction was each other. Always wanting more than we could get."
"The problem with climbing to the top of the mountain is that there is a long way to fall. She was the peak of my life."
"Promises made. Promises kept."
"I am finding purpose in this work for her memory."
Waiting for love, waiting to see,
waiting for you, like you were waiting for me.
With our arms wide open, with our hearts open wide,
with an ocean between us, with our souls intertwined.
True love's never over,
it's not measured in time.
Our hearts beat together,
when your hand's in mine.
Climb any mountain, fly over the ocean, and swim cross the sea.
I found you there waiting — Waiting for me.
So just like a movie, on the big screen called life.
As the whole world was watching, as we laughed till we cried.
They said we're hopeless romantics,
they said our love's fantasy.
But the whole world kept watching,
'cause true love's so rare to see.
Waiting for you, waiting for me.
Climb any mountain, fly over the ocean, and swim cross the sea.
True love was waiting,
My angel was waiting,
Monik was waiting —
waiting for me.
"It reads like both a love letter and a living memorial. Love can ripple outward, touching strangers who witness it."
"Merci pour votre grand cœur. Mon amie était si heureuse grâce à vous."
Thank you for your great heart. My friend was so happy because of you.
"I hope she sees from where she is today just how loved she was."
"Cherche le bonheur encore."
Seek happiness again.
"I can only hope that someday someone will love me and adore me like you do your Monik."
"If no one has tears in their eyes after listening to this... Keep playing and singing — she can hear you."
"Made me feel that love I once found. I miss my love awful."
"Damn, Kevin! That's fantastic."
"One day closer. I think that every day."
"I bought Coeur Mining while sitting with Monik in France — on the name alone. Because Coeur is French for heart."
He paid for this song with the profits. Not a single penny came from anywhere else. A stock bought for love paid for love's memorial. Even that stock paid dividends — as Monik always did.
A man in the dark. A flashlight that belonged to her. The objects that remain when love leaves the room.
The most ordinary beginning to the most extraordinary story. A YouTube comment. November 14th, 2014.
A classically educated Frenchwoman from Orne, near La Loupe, Normandy. Whose late husband restored Dutch master paintings for the Louvre. Secrète et fantasque.
Learning French for her. Failing it in high school. The moment a language became an act of love. Cacahuète and all.
180 days a year. Every day the law would allow. The airport. The weight of leaving. The counting of days. The peanut butter sandwiches to save the money.
After their first Skype — he ran in circles around his house like a child. She was real. And then the day came to cross the ocean.
Champagne every night. Ping pong basketball. Je t'aime slipping out in front of others by accident and laughing about it. Two completely different worlds — and with each other they were just free.
A love that was never private — it was always a gift to anyone watching. My sole reason for living was to make her smile.
COVID. The phone. The screen. Just not enough. Never enough. And Monik beginning to get sick.
The moment the borders reopened — he went straight back. He spent every possible moment with her until the end.
Yellow flowers in a Dixie cup. Three nurses crying. A man with wildflowers who was not going to leave that room.
The flashlight. The bracelet. The cracked champagne flute. The things you hold when there is nothing left to hold.
Monik asked him to tell their story. He promised. This chapter is about what it cost to keep that promise. While his heart was breaking. Still broken.
Even after she was gone — she kept giving. The stock bought for love. The song written from grief. The book built from a promise. Monik's gifts never stopped.
One man at home in the sticks. Every waking moment for two months. Tears day after day. Because he promised.
Someone asked how long it took to write this song. After careful reflection — two lifetimes, intertwined.
"In one of our very last conversations, Monik asked me to tell our story. I promised I would. This book is me keeping that promise."