Stranger Than Fiction

and
A Message

A True Story

by

E. Thornton Goode, Jr.

 Stranger than Fiction

I thought I might write and tell you something I think

is truly strange. It all started after my first novel was
published in 2007.
Not long afterwards, I happened to be online at a
dating website I frequented. Flipping through the pictures, I
saw the face of a man who caught my eye. I couldn’t believe
it. I actually laughed when I saw it. The face was the
spitting image of the character Daniel in my first novel.
 I immediately sent a message to this man and
included a direct quote from the novel, describing Daniel. I
told him if I had only known he was out there, I would have
asked him if I could’ve used his picture in the appreciation
section, so the readers would get an idea as to the physical
appearance of the Daniel character. I really had no
expectations he would respond.
BUT......He did write back to me. Also, he was very
kind, indicating he was flattered and if I wrote any more
stories where a character looked like him, to let him know
and he would send me several photographs to choose from.
In many of my novels and at least one short story,
there is a character who resembles him. I include a
photograph at the front of these for the readers to see. Of
course, being the writer, these characters physically are my
personal opinion as to what I perceive to be an incredibly
handsome man. I guess you could say he is my imaginary
lover. Others may think differently because as the old saying
goes ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’.
Over the years, this man has been not much more
than a set of photographs. I knew very little about him or his
history. To me, he was an incredibly good-looking man and I
just took for granted he was alive, well and having a
wonderful life. We would periodically touch bases with
emails of hello or holiday greetings. That was really the
extent of it until my Dan passed away. Julian and I became
even closer afterwards.
About late August this year, I wrote him an email,
telling him how much I had appreciated the use of his
pictures over the years and included a collection of the
pictures I had used in virtually all my novels and a short
story. I also wanted him to see the picture I want to use on
the front cover of the next book I would like to get in print
Two Portraits in Oil. He had read the novel and actually had
started calling me Boo. Boo is the me character in the novel.
That made me smile and happy inside.
 He wrote back to me and made a joking comment he
was everywhere. He liked the picture very much for the
front cover. He then told me he was looking forward to
retirement next year. That was very surprising to me because
in all the pictures, even the recent ones, he looked like he
was no older than forty. Another surprise and somewhat of a
shock is he included a photograph of a self-portrait he had
just finished, painting in watercolor.
If you know it or not, watercolor is one of the most
difficult paint mediums to use. It is totally unforgiving,
unlike oils. Oils, you can scrape off with a palette knife and
do it again. Also, there are two things which are extremely
difficult to paint. The ocean and portraits.
 When I saw the picture of the painting, I was
astounded. It is an incredible portrait. I had no idea he was
such a talented artist. So, I immediately wrote back,
applauding him for his artistic abilities but questioned how in
the world he was going to retire at such a young age. He
wrote back with a huge surprise, telling me that he was fifty-
nine. (You can judge from his photographs. Yes. They are
fairly recent.) He indicated he taught art at one of the
universities in Philly. Also, he was working on twenty-five
canvases, oil paintings, to be in an exhibition in the spring.
He had included photographs of five of the paintings.
 When I scrolled down and saw the pictures of the oil
paintings, I started to laugh. I thought he was pulling my
leg. I thought he’d gone to a museum, taken pictures and
had sent me photographs of five Renoirs. But then I realized
these really were his paintings. The subject matter in all five
is ballerinas. I found out later how large these canvases were
because the ballerinas are life-size. Again, I was astounded
at his talent. The detail work. The reflection in the glass
windows. The reflection on the polished floors. To say, I
was blown away would be a huge understatement.
I immediately wrote back and told him how
impressed I was with his paintings. Degas, Monet and
Renoir were alive and living in him. I told him I was so
sorry over the many years I had known of him, I knew
absolutely nothing about him.
He then wrote back and told me some of his history.
It was extremely sad. He had met his partner Jake when he
was twenty-eight. They were together for twenty-two years.
When he was fifty in November 2007, they were crossing a
street. His partner saw it coming and quickly pushed Julian
to the curb, saving him. The oncoming car hit his partner.
He died in his arms. The driver had been texting and not
paying attention. After that happened, he had basically been
keeping to himself. I saw a photograph of his partner and the
man was extremely handsome.

I told him since he was such an amazing artist he

should come down, spend some time and paint the ocean
here. I wanted to see if Winslow Homer was living in him,
too. GRIN! After he has his showing and retires, he should
come for a visit. We would raise a glass in remembering and
walk on the beach. He could for his partner and I for both of
mine. Just as Steffan and I did last December. He wrote
back he was extremely appreciative of the invitation and
would love to come for a visit.
He then sent me photos of two more paintings he had
done.

This one looked like a Van Gogh. I couldn’t believe

it. This one wouldn’t be in the showing in the spring.
Neither would the next one.
 This one is gold metal leaf with oils.
Now, I must tell you I had no idea of his
physicalness. Yes, he had a handsome face but that’s all I
really knew. Then he told me. He was six foot three and 238
pounds. Of course, I almost fell over. He has ALL the
physical characteristics and qualities of the characters in my
books. He truly is the characters in my novels come alive,
walking out of the pages of my books. What can I say?
YeeeHaw!
I knew we were going to be great friends. But it
didn’t stop there. I had slowly fallen in love with him. What
can I say? He was everything I wrote about in my novels
and I had fallen in love with the Julian character over a
dozen times. It seems I was not alone. He wrote back to me,
saying I was stuck with him. I loved him and I was happy.
 In November, he went into the hospital for a kidney
infection. All seemed well. But the doctors found he had
cancer growths on both kidneys. They were not malignant
and it would not be a problem to remove the 3 on one and
the 2 on the other. He went in for the operation in mid-
December.
I told Julian I would come up there to Philly to help
take care of him when he got out of the hospital. Julian said
he had family and his roommate, so not a problem and not to
worry. He told me his roommate would keep me posted and
luckily, he had dodged the bullet.
His roommate notified me and said the operation was
a success. BUT.....Julian went into a coma from the
anesthesia. He was on life support. The doctors said this
was a very rare happening. He also was not breathing on his
own but had full brain function.
I was crazy. I told his roommate to tell Julian his Boo
loved him and would be here when he came out of his sleep.
As the days went by, there was no improvement and
Julian’s kidneys began to fail. His family got his living will
and read his wishes.
Early Christmas day, they removed him from life
support and in fifteen minutes, he was gone. His roommate
let me know around 1 o’clock in the afternoon, my time here
in Mexico. My wonderful, caring and loving Julian was
gone. Christmas will NEVER be the same for me again.
I was up till almost midnight last night saving all of
Julian’s emails. All the way back to 2012, not long after we
first started communicating with one another. I’m afraid if
his email account gets deleted, his emails will disappear. I
now have all his words he wrote to me and all his pictures.
Losing Phillip in May 1996 after 19 years together
was not easy. But then I met Dan in 1998. Losing him in
May 2014 after 16 years together was extremely crushing.
And now, losing Julian yesterday on Christmas day has
totally devastated me.
 Knowing Jake was there to welcome him allows me
to smile through my tears. I know he will introduce him to
Phillip and Dan and also my friend, Tris.
They’ll all be there to say hello with hugs all around
when I get there one day.

* * * * *

We had only just begun our relationship. He was my

inspiration, my muse, my love. He was coming down next
year to see me so we could have time to really get to know
one another. And now, I will spend this coming summer
alone. But I will have memories.
I close my eyes and I am at the airport in Zihuatanejo.
His plane has landed from Philly and I wait anxiously
outside immigration. Then, finally, the doors open and the
people start filing out. There he is. Tall and handsome with
a huge smile on his face. He calls out when he sees me.
“Boo!”
A huge smile fills my face and my heart leaps with
joy and I run up to him, hugging him tightly. I know I am
loved. We are going to have a wonderful time. We are going
to paint the ocean.....and I will now finally, see if Winslow
Homer really does live inside him, along with Renoir,
Monet, Van Gogh and Degas.
 I love you, Julian Green. I love you forever. My heart is
broken and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men will
never put it together again. I know...I’ll never...love this way
again.
Boo

* * * * *
 A Message

Before I get to the crux of this story, it is necessary

for there to be some background information given to fully
understand the significance here.
The house I live in here on the southwest coast of
Mexico is made of reinforced concrete. The roof is a poured
reinforced concrete slab. To prevent cracks or fissures from
forming, it is necessary to pour the entire slab at one time.
Unfortunately, the builder didn’t do this. He poured it in
sections. I didn’t realize this until the rainy season here of
2016.
The rainy season here usually lasts from mid-June till
late October. The rest of the year there is virtually no rain at
all. Any showers during other parts of the year are extremely
infrequent and rare. This is important to remember towards
the end of this story.
The first crack in the ceiling of the dining room area
showed up last year during the rainy season of 2016. The
crack was nearly 10 feet long. Water dripped in, pouring
down into the area between the dining room table and the
kitchen. The repair to this crack on the roof was done in
early 2017.
When the rainy season began in 2017, another crack
some 12 feet long showed up in the ceiling about 10 feet
south of the first crack of 2016. Water dripped in all over the
southern end of the dining room table. After cleaning up the
mess, the dining room table was shifted several feet to the
north and remained there until Thanksgiving in November
since the rainy season was over. Repairs to this crack would
be made in January 2018.

* * * * *

Anyone who has read any of my novels realizes the

personality and physical characteristics of my friend Julian
appear in virtually all of them as one of the main characters.
My most recent novel was completed in the summer of 2017
and is called Two Portraits in Oil. The front cover of the
novel is designed with a framed portrait of Julian since he
has the likeness of one of the main characters.

I sent Julian an advanced copy for him to read and

give his approval. The book is also dedicated to him in
appreciation for letting me use his pictures in so many of my
novels and stories. His response let me know he totally liked
the novel and appreciated the dedication. He very much
liked the picture on the front cover. Believe it or not, he
began to call me Boo. This is the pet name the Julian
character in the book calls the me character in the book.
 The way I made this picture was to photograph one of
my old picture frames, put it into the computer and print it
out. Taking that 8.5 x 11 page, I cut out the center section of
the picture of the frame. I then took the picture Julian had
sent me, now in my computer and printed it out. I placed the
8.5 x 11 page, containing the picture of the frame on top of
the 8.5 x 11 page of the picture of Julian. I taped the two
pages together and took a photograph of the combined pages,
creating a single image. I transferred this picture to the
computer and is the one you see here.
I do most of my writing at the dining room table.
Why? Because the internet service at the dining room table
is better than any other place in the house. The taped-
together pages of the framed picture of Julian was there as
well. The picture sat on the south end of the table.
On November 29th, I got an email message from
Julian. ‘I have a kidney infection and haven’t been up to
writing...I’ll be out of the hospital on Friday...looks like I
dodged a bullet. Nothing and no one could come between
us. I’ll keep you informed. Hugs and kisses. J~’ He wrote
another very shortly thereafter. ‘Silly man...you are my
Boo...I’m really sick...I’m in the Hospital with a severe
Kidney infection. More to follow. Hugs?’ On December
the 5th, he wrote another message. ‘HAVE FUN ON YOUR
TRAVELS. Love you, Boo. J~’
Yes. My friend Steffan from Canada was going to be
in Puerto Vallarta, starting in early December until the 23rd.
He and his partner have a timeshare there. He asked if I
might come up and be with him during his visit. I accepted.
Steffan lost his partner to cancer in February 2016. I didn’t
want him to be alone, knowing memories of him and Alan
would be on his mind. I arrived there on December the 4th.
On December 10th, I got a very disturbing email
from Julian. ‘I don’t know how to tell you this.....I have
cancer. I guess that was the best way, after all the ways I’ve
tried to put together a softer way to tell you. The bad news is
that is in both kidneys. I’ll need one kidney removed, and a
transplant for the other. I have a rare blood type.. so this is
going to be a bumpy ride. We make plans, and GOD laughs.
Don’t stress, Boo, I have this. I’ll keep you informed. Hugs
and kisses? J~’ Needless to say, I was extremely upset. I
was glad Steffan was there.
On December 15th, I got another email from Julian.
‘I may have dodged a bullet, I’m told. I have 5 tumors 3 ON
one and 2 ON the other. They are encapsulated and have not
spread. Minus any complications during surgery, they are
likely to get all the cancer and I’ll be ok. Whew. Yeah, I’m
a lucky SOB!!!! I’ll be getting surgery tomorrow morning
( Saturday December 16th @ 6AM) You will be informed
top priority. Worry not, mi amor. J~’ Little did I realize.
These were going to be the last words I would ever hear
from Julian.
An email came in from Julian’s roommate on
December 17th. ‘I have good news and bad...Let’s start with
the good...they got all the cancer, and his kidneys are
working perfectly. And now the bad news...you better sit
down if you’re not...Julian hasn’t woken from the anesthesia,
he’s in a coma...we’re told it happens in a small percentage
of surgical patients.’ He did want me to know one thing.
Since Julian’s partner, Jake died in 2007, ‘You are the first
man who has gotten through that armor he constructed
around himself.’ I told his roommate to please tell Julian I
loved him very much more than words could say, even
though he was in a coma. I was glad Steffan was there to
comfort me.
The next day there came very bad news. ‘Thornton, I
avoided telling that he is not breathing on his own...I wanted
you to picture him as he was sleeping. It’s not quite that
pretty. I’ll say what you wrote in his ear...I know he can
hear...so I’m very protective of what’s said around him...’
On the 19th, his roommate wrote. ‘Thornton...I just read
your email to our Julian...I know he heard me.’ On the 20th,
I received another email from his roommate. ‘I wish I could
help you to feel less broken...you seem like such a wonderful
man. Julian has full brain activity, but he’s not breathing on
his own. I will continue to keep you informed.’
 I left Puerto Vallarta by bus and returned home on the
afternoon of the 22nd. I was told the night before there had
been a totally unexpected, freak and unusual rainstorm.
When I walked into the dining room, I saw the whole south
end of the dining room table was wet, including the 8.5 x 11
picture of Julian.
The water had caused the inks to mix and run. The
image left was devastating and broke my heart. I just knew
it was.....a message. A message from Julian to me.

To me, the picture was like the statue of the Weeping

Madonna that has been known to cry tears of blood. This
picture of Julian was crying tears of blood. He was letting
me know all was not well and he was not going to live. It
was like an omen, a sign, a message.
 On Christmas Day, I got the email around one in the
afternoon. ‘His wishes were not to receive any life saving
devices...that especially means the breathing
machines...Thornton, the machines were turned off...and he
lasted about 15 minutes...Julian died at midnight...he has left
this world that we know.’
Christmas will never be the same for me ever again.
So, think what you may. Many will scoff and say this
is hockey puck but I will always believe the unexpected
rainfall was meant to occur so the water would drip down
and alter the picture on my dining room table as a sign, a
message. A message from Julian, letting me know I will
always be his Boo, he still loves me and he is so sorry all the
plans we were making would never come to pass.
I will always love Julian and he will always be in my
heart. Nothing will ever alter that. I am so glad he died,
knowing he was loved and he was in love. I would have
hated for such a caring, kind and loving man to die without
knowing love again.
And one day, he and Jake, as well as my Phillip, my
Dan and my friend Tris, will all come to get me when it is
my time to go. It will definitely be a new and happy
homecoming.

I love you, Julian Green.

* * * * *

NOTE: All emails are direct copies from the internet.

Spelling and punctuation were not changed. Also, I
originally wrote this on December 26, 2017, the day after
Julian died. It has been edited since then to correct spelling
and grammar.