March 4 – what would have beeen my brother Cliff’s 61st birthday:
If He Had Lived
If he had lived, where would he be today?
Would he have become Cliff Grisham, superstar singer/songwriter waltzing comfortably amongst the glitterati?
Or, God forbid, still hoping for fortune and fame as he vies for a spot on an American Idol-esque television show?
And how much cosmetic “work” would he have had done by now?
Would his long, wavy hair have turned to that gorgeous man-aging gray or would he still be shaking those blond highlighted locks a la Roger Daltry in “Who’s Next?”
Would he have a partner – or even be married?
Perhaps a child for him to dress to the nines?
But most of all, would our mother, who has now reached her nineties, have gotten that promised chauffeured limo?
Two things we know for certain, if he had lived:
Mom’s New York apartment would have been painted regularly and we all would have had the perfect lunch, dinner and theater companion…if he had lived.
P.S. It is truly ironic that today’s front-page headline announces “IN A MEDICAL FIRST, A BABY WITH H.I.V. IS DEEMED CURED.”
Hello, I thought Cliff’s sister was Emily …
I listened to Cliff’s demo album today, which I digitized and put on CD, and danced to some of it. He wouldn’t have needed cosmetic surgery as I think he would have aged well. But definitely he would have kept his hair highlighted but ever-so naturally (like us). I think he would have eventually made it, probably as a songwriter and producer in L.A. He was a romantic and I like to think he would have found the right person to share his life. Gone too soon, one of the most generous fun people I’ve ever known.
Happy birthday Cliff. Love from Lillian xoxo
Yes, Emily is our “baby sister.” I’m the other one- the eldest. Cliff was three years younger than I. Thank you for reading and commenting on the blog. I’m just curious as to how you found it. I’d love to have more people reading it. I did not go to the HS of Music and Art as did Emily and Cliff. I taught high school English in NYC for over 30 years, retired and wrote a memoir called Take Off Your Hat and Spit Out Your Gum. It was published last June. Again, thanks for getting in touch.
Melinda