I remember clearly that feeling of acting the part -- going through the motions of life while "I" was really elsewhere. Occasionally something would demand my attention to the point where it felt "real," but the day-to-day aspects of life seemed mechanical and without meaning.

That feeling passes, but in the meantime, "acting the part" allows you to focus on Byron's death, which occupies virtually your entire self.

Strange, when I woke up this morning, I had been dreaming about Jenn, as I so often do, and realized that although Jenn is gone, both the love and the bond remain. That may be difficult to understand, but is nevertheless true, and it's a comfort.

Can you tell a bit about Byron -- how old he was, how long you had known him, how he died?