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Dear Zelda,
I am writing you in these very hard times, not only to show my support,
but also to share some things with you. When I heard about Robin Williams’
death, I was just stunned. He was the actor who has mattered the most to
me. Growing up, I would see him as an example, my own personal hero. I
loved all of his movies, he was so funny but most of all, he looked so kind. I felt
very close to him, and specially because he reminded me so much of my
own daddy. They had the same kindness in their eyes. But the same sadness
too. Since I was little, I thought that they were exactly the same kind of
people. Incredibly good and talented people who changed the world by
making it purer, better, just by being who they were. See, the weird thing is
that my dad died exactly two years ago. He had been struggling with
depression and other diseases for 15 years. He couldn’t take one more day,
and he committed suicide in August of 2012. I was 22 then. This is why I feel so
close to you, so close to what you are getting through. I remember when I
heard the news for my own father’s death… I didn’t actually hear it, I
understood it without the need of words. I don’t know if you felt the same, but
I was always worried about him. I was always terrified that he would die.
When it happened, I took a step backwards, like I wanted to erase this
moment. But I couldn’t stand on my feet and had to sit down even if all I
wanted to do was to run away. The void I felt inside of me, this emptiness… I
will never forget it. Tears are coming up to my eyes as I am writing this to you.
Your father was an exceptional man. It is amazing to see all the
messages of love coming from the whole world. Knowing that he has been
important to so many people, that he changed so many lives! But you were
his daughter. As you said, you had to share him with the world but – fuck – this
man was YOUR daddy. When my father was buried and I saw friends, cousins,
family relations crying, I had this weird thought. My heart was bleeding so
hard that I thought: “Why are they even crying? What pain can they feel? He
was my daddy, I don’t get why they are crying, they couldn’t love him as I
do”. That was a crazy thing to think, but I figured… maybe you feel the same.
Having all these strangers mourning for your daddy, this must feel so odd. All I
hope is that you don’t feel this way, and see it as a comforting thing instead,
even if the grief of the others has nothing to do with yours. Oh god, that
bound that you create with a father! And a father like the ones we had. You
know, my dad was extraordinary. He was funny, talented, and had a heart…
as big as he whole word. I think people who are that pure are forced to get
depression. We live in a world filled of hatred, wars, injustices, diseases… I think
people like your father and mine were too sensitive for it. They were too pure,
too good-hearted to live in such a world, as they tried to make it a little bit
better. It ate them. You know, I never met someone like my dad. Someone
who was always with good intentions, who was willing to do everything for his
family but also for strangers, someone who gave discounts to his rich
customers just to be nice, even if he really needed that money. Someone
who organized, each summer, “art workshops” for me and my cousins, to get

us to use all our imagination, to help us to create, to paint, to sculpt
everything we wanted! To turn our summers into magic moments. He was
always willing to give what he had for the others. His every day’s acts of
kindness made him so different. I am sure your dad was this kind of person.
Dear Zelda, I wish I were with you today. I wish we were already next
year so you could be healed, just a little bit. Grieving is a motherfucking hard
thing to do. It almost drove me crazy. Losing someone is awful. Losing a dad is
unbearable. Losing a dad who was part of the Good in this world, well… I still
can’t believe it happened, 2 years later. But we survive. We keep their
laughers in our minds, we keep their kind smiles, and we try to be as good as
they were, to make the world a little bit better, as they did. I don’t know you,
but I know what it is growing up with a sick but wonderful dad. When I think of
mine, I don’t see 15 years of depression. I see greatness, I see a hero. I see a
role model. I see the best daddy I could have dreamed of.
My mother had those words one day, she told me: “Some men are too
good to live in this world. God takes them first to shorten their sufferings.”
Weirdly, I think it is true, even if they took their own lives. The thing is that, they
already have fought all these years to stay alive besides their unhappiness.
And they did it for us, right? It is hard to speak about someone I don’t know.
But when my dad left us, on his letter he wrote, about my sisters, my mother
and me: “You were my heaven, but hell has become stronger than heaven,
and I can’t take all this suffering anymore”. That’s it. The fight between the
hell of the sickness and the heaven of your loved ones. Let’s be happy that
they fought for us, even if the demons won in the end. At least now they are
in peace, right? It is the only thing that you can hold on to to grieve. That he
left us for a better place. I am really affected by the death of the great Robin
Williams, and I told my boyfriend, “I hope he’s gonna meet my dad in
heaven.” He answered me, “ I guess they will be accommodated at the
same floor”. Being the daughter of such a dad is the most wonderful thing.
But the price to pay is so high… Luckily, people like this touch so many other
people, that we can have hope for the world, maybe. We can try to move
forward, with their words always in our minds. We have to, because they
raised and loved us and want us to survive their death.
I know this letter is a little bit messy, but I am really emotional while
writing it. I identify myself to you so much. Same disease, same kind of people,
almost the same date of death, and we are the same age… this is a lot. So, I
absolutely wanted to tell you: even if this is the most unthinkable thing that
could happen, even if you wonder why he had to have the disease when all
could have been so perfect, even if you wake up crying at night for the next
months, even if all hope seems to be gone… You’ll be happy again. I wanted
to tell you that. I am happy today. I am building a life. There is still this hole
that will never be filled, but instead of crying I try to think of all the things he
taught me (he was a passionate, he knew so much things about so much
fields…), all the things he gave me, and most important of all: he is always

with me. I carry him in my heart wherever I go. I thank him for having taken
such good care of me. For giving me faith in humanity with his loving heart. I
am happy today even if my heart has been ripped away. It seemed
impossible. It took me two years. But here I am. And I wanted you to know
that.
I wish you the best for your life. It may not come very quickly, but it will
come. Always have hope. Always allow yourself to cry for you incredible dad.
I miss mine. And yours meant a lot to me. Dear Zelda, my thoughts are with
you and your family. I hope my letter was somehow helpful, even a little bit,
even for a second.
Take care of you,
Lots of love,
Charlee