As I sit and reflect on your life, I've been wondering why I haven't broken down and big one big 'ole emotional mess. And now I know why: our last words to each other were, "I love you." Most people don't get to say that those were their last words to a loved one and they're all depressed and sad talking about the woulda, coulda, shouldas. And I'm truly at peace knowing that I don't have any regrets with you. Thank you for loving me, supporting me, and being there for me. I love you and you will be missed.
Adeyinka,
I think I'm one of the few folk from STEP '99 who insisted on ALWAYS calling you Adeyinka. Every memory I have of you will always start with that too hot summer in 1999, you're great, brusque sense of humour, and your fierceness for protecting and loving your friends. The past few days, I've run into or spoken with so many folk from AU, some that I haven't been in contact with in years, and everyone has the same story to share about you: how loving, generous and funny you were, and how much you truly touched their lives. I send you love and blessings b/c I know that death is not real and that you are still here with us.
Love & Peace,
Cynthia,
My Dear Friend, My Sister, My Same Age Mother, My HomeGirl...
So many fond and great memories of you... I remember Summer 99, we had a cookout together Me, You and Shola for our graduation from High School... We were together everyday that summer (remember?)... I Remember you and I talking about what sorority we would join when we get into college and what we wanted to major in... The time came in August of that year for all of us to start our college lives in separate places, and that we did! I remember coming home for the holidays and we all would get together and have fun, it was the best time, we were all in college and we thought we were so grown (lol)!... That's when you had the Honda Passport...
Here we are 10 years later with all the memories that I will one day share with my children...
Ohhhh, I have so many memories of My dear Friend Cynthia...
I Love you my sister, I Love you, I Love You, I Love you...
My dear friend Cynthia,
Where do I start? June 1999...
It was the first day of STEP. I remember I heard you before I actually saw you. You had a BIG personality and BIG voice to go with it. Your presence was felt from day one. You’ve laughed so loud and hard that tears came to your eyes, you’ve cheered at games so loud that you lost your voice, you’ve sung so loud in gospel choir that I swore you had a solo, you’ve cracked jokes so loud that I had to put my head down… but as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing those loud moments with you, it’s the quiet moments that I will remember and miss the most.
I’ll never forget freshman year when we both had our “I hate AU” moments and we wanted to quit. We vowed that as long as we hung in there together that we’d both make it through and we did. May 9, 2003 we walked down the aisle for graduation together.
I’ll never forget our endless talks about being Greek and how we secretly promised to be the best AKA/Delta duo that ever walked AU’s campus. That meant a lot to me because it showed that we acknowledged our differences AND we embraced them. We encourage each other to attain our goals whether they were the same or different.
I’ll never forget how you encouraged me when my mother was sick in the hospital. I told everyone I was fine but I told you the truth. I told you that I was scared to death and the words you spoke to me gave me the courage to keep my head up.
Most importantly, I will never forget that I was quiet and shy before I met you. But Cynthia, there was no such thing as being quiet around you. You always shined and you wanted others to shine as well. I could have gone through college sitting in the backseat of every class or alone in the corner of every social gathering, but with my dear friend by my side, I stepped up to the challenge and I too learned to make my presence known.
I am thankful that our friendship continued and stayed strong past college. I’m very thankful that I shared inauguration weekend with you and I’m most thankful that when I spoke to you a few weeks ago, you were happy and content despite being sick. I could keep going on and on but to sum it all up I’ll say…
4 years of books we never used… $4000
3 years of TDR meal plans (we were grown senior year so no meal plan)… $15,000
4 years of American University tuition… $160,000 Plus
To have known Adeyinka Adebukola Cynthia Adesioye… PRICELESS
You made it all worth it and for that I’ll never forget you.
Love Always,
Tiffanie Young
