At the very outset, let me state that this is the most
difficult piece I’ve ever written by far and I do mean THE MOST DIFFCULT one
yet. Given the level of difficulty then, it’s no wonder that the words are hard
to come by. So I draw inspiration from the words of John Denver and more
importantly the lyrics of his song ‘Annie’s Song’ and question, ‘Where do I
begin?’ Where do I begin to pen the story of a friend who was a large part of
my life but now is no more? Where do I begin to describe just how much he meant
to me and those whose lives he touched? Where do I begin to list just how
amazing an individual he was? Where do I begin to tell you about the legend that
was my friend Regi?
I guess the very beginning is as good a place as any. I
first met Regi when I was a teenager; somewhere between the ages of 13 and 14.
He was part of my sister’s massive group of friends, a group that I looked up
to and whose company I thoroughly enjoyed. They never once made me feel like I
was too young to hang out with them or that they tired of having me tag along
with them wherever they went. I still vividly remember asking him if it was
‘Reggie’, like the character from my favourite comics of that time, Archies,
and him laughing and saying that it wasn’t. You see, his full name was
Reginaldo and so, it was either Regi or Naldo. Now even though there was almost
a nine year age gap between the two of us, we got on like a house on fire and
became fast friends.
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As our friendship became more steadfast with each passing
day, I began to discover all the little things that made Regi the amazing,
loved person that he was. For one, he put every single person he met at ease
from the very get go and made all and sundry feel like they were his best
friend. He could come down to the level of the most menial individual and yet
stand shoulder to shoulder with the big moneyed men, all the while never losing
his sense of origin, distinctiveness, affability and warmth. If you were lucky
enough to meet him and he liked you for who you were, you had then made a
friend for life!
Then there was his passion for music. Though it took some
time for him to step into the limelight that he deserved and take centre stage
alongside some of the tumultuous talent of our local music scenario, it was
always him pushing others to take their singing skills to the next level. As a
matter of fact, if it weren’t for Regi, I myself would never have started
singing professionally – he’s the one who goaded me to take the leap of faith
and try out for various competitions. He even came to most of them to show his
solidarity and support and whenever I struck out, he was always there with a
hug and the line “There’s always the next time”. After a few years, he started
his own little group called Regi and The Rockets or R & The Rockets, of
which I was lucky enough to be a part (and still am) and from that point
onwards there was no looking back… We sang side by side for years, with him
always forgetting lyrics and me always chiding him for not having a proper file
for his songs. He may not have been a Pavarotti or Bocelli but when he took to
the stage, he seemed to come even more alive than he already was and would sing
his heart out with a delighted twinkle in his eye..
For me, he was the poster child of doing it all and living
life to the fullest. He worked hard, made a brand out of his name, made time to
meet up with friends and family while maintaining his success, attended every
musical show and performance that he could no matter who the artist was or what
genre of music they played, was always game to try out new restaurants and the
range of food they served up, fell in love and got married, set aside date
nights with his beautiful wife, always had breakfast with his parents, spent
his mornings reading the paper from start to finish and then talked about it
with anyone who was able to keep up with the discussion, was always up for a
laugh, a dance, a song or a chat; The list was endless!
But come March this year, and we were all dealt a humongous
blow. Regi passed away, leaving a massive void in all our lives and while it
broke our hearts and left us all in never ending tears, we had to bid adieu to
one of the most brilliant rays of sunshine in our lives. I personally said
goodbye to a best friend, a confidante and brother – someone who I shared a lot
of unforgettable moments with and who came to my rescue in more ways than I can
count. So now all I can say is thank you. Thank you Regi for lighting up my
life all these years; thank you for the love, the laughter… and the memories.
