By Megan Simpkins

I have spent countless hours sitting in front of my computer, just trying to think of where to start or even what to say, but nothing I write has seemed good enough or even worthy of Chris or how I feel about him… but in the back of my mind I can hear him saying “get the chuck on wit it”, so I guess the best way to start is to state the painfully obvious fact that I miss him so much.

Chris was my favorite person in the whole world. From the night I first met him, October 2, 2007, I was madly in love with him. The very next day he took me on our first date… to Wal-Mart. There he bought me a fishing pole (the “blue bomber”) then drove me to Parrott, VA where we spent the afternoon on his infamous John Boat not catching a darn thing. Nothing was ever awkward between us, it was like we had known each other for our entire lives; and ever since that most redneck first date I had ever experienced, we became inseparable… I have never spent so much time with one person in my entire life than in the short two years I knew Chris; and in our short years together, he understood me more than even my own family did... the connection was stronger than anything I have ever experienced.

We spent the majority of our time together hibernating in his room, neglecting John’s warning about getting bedsores… because being together was way more important than socializing with anyone else or even going to class (sorry parents). One day that summer, we spent 12 straight hours in his room watching LOST… it breaks my heart knowing that he wont ever get to know what the heck is actually going on in that stupid show.  But this past spring tops it off… when we spent a disgusting 18 continuous hours watching season after season of The Sopranos, after which I had to deal with him only making spaghetti for dinner and repeating Tony Sopranos famous words: “capish” and “madonn” for a whole week.

But besides wallowing our days away, the most important and special thing about me and Chris’s relationship was that we learned so much from each other. Chris taught me a whole new life outside of home. I learned how to fish, appreciate country music, experienced the small town life, had my first taste of delicious Brunswick Stew, became a fluent speaker of the “chuckin language,” went four wheeling through swamps, and to everyone’s surprise, I even went hunting. But Chris never let an opportunity go where he could make fun of me for being from northern Virginia… saying, “I get you half right then you go back home and get all nova on me”.  But as much as he would hate to admit it, he liked it. The first time he came to visit me, I took him on his first metro ride and he was completely astonished by all the people, cars and city life… it was absolutely adorable.  Although we came from different worlds, I guess that proves the saying “Opposites attract.”

Its hard to pick just one Christopher story to tell, since they are all the best, but guess ill share the most recent one. The last time I saw Chris was in August, when I visited him on my way down to Nags Head. I was so excited to check out his new house, but the first thing he had to show me was his bathroom. I thought going in there that it must be pretty fancy for him to be THAT excited to show me it, but it was not… he was just in love with his toilet because it was cushioned. He said, “I always told Anne I wanted a cushioned toilet seat and now I finally got one! Every king deserves a nice comfy padded seat for takin dumps.” It was the little things in life that made him the happiest… and that’s why I loved him so much.

Although I no longer get the daily phone call or texts about the stupid little things that happened during his day or about the awesome police call he had the night before, I know he is still around, protecting me like he always did. Literally not a minute goes by that I don’t think about him or sleep a night without dreaming about him and it is a continuous struggle to go through a whole day without shedding a tear for him… but he always said, “don’t cry lil Moonpie, your ugly when you cry”, so that makes it a little easier.  Everywhere I go and everything I do reminds me of him. And is presence is still all around me... literally... like:

-his flask, which still has some Henry McKenna left it in it…which is a complete surprise, since we all know he never let even a drop of alcohol go to waste

-a Sherriff Vernie Francis ballpoint pen with his bite marks all over the cap, showing signs of pure boredom in class

-and my favorite of all: his dresser, which makes all of my clothes inside smell like him…. But outside of material things, what’s most important is that he made Radford my home because to me, he was home. Towards the end of the summer I used to complain to him about how much school was going to suck without him and how lonely I was going to be, but he always promised to visit as much as he could… I can never thank him enough for making me feel comfortable in a place where I hardly knew anyone, 4 hours away from the only place I knew and was used to.

He was my better half and I wont ever be whole again because he had my left side (where the heart is)…but because of him, I am a better person and live my days now striving to be just as amazing and giving as he was.  We used to always joke on the girls that said or had stupid quotes posted up everywhere, but “it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all” has a completely new and truthful meaning to me now.  I would be a totally different person today if I had never met Christopher. Because of him, I now know the meaning of life, friendship, happiness and most importantly, what it is to love.

I will love you and miss you forever Christopher Darby Ray… (Peaches, Officer Williams, Trixie, Lloyd Muffet, Ol Raystopher, Slop Masta C) and forever’s a mighty long time.

-Megan Lee, your Moonpie, Lady B, Lil Bit