Tribute to Victor/The Rest of Our Lives (Read 685 times)

[Kpatch]

When I heard John Aniston died last week, I decided to re-post Victor's funeral chapters from The Rest of Our Lives as my tribute to the actor. Victor died earlier in my story. Today, I will post Justin, Hope, and Daniel's eulogies. Tomorrow (Sunday), I will post Philip's.

[Kpatch]

Chapter 104

Justin stepped into the pew in the front row. Daniel went next, followed by Maggie. Chloe started to go in next, but she turned to Philip and said, “Honey, why don’t you sit next to Maggie.” She traded places with him.

Lucas sat in the back row next to a woman wearing a scarf and dark glasses. Even with her half-hearted disguise, it was obvious the woman was Kate.

Craig quietly came down the aisle and brought Parker over to sit next to his mother. Parker turned his head and buried it into Chloe’s side when he saw the open casket on a raised platform with his grandfather inside, a white cross resting on his chest. Chloe put her arm around Parker as the priest spoke a blessing.

"Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy. Again we pray for the repose of the soul of the servant of God, Victor Aiakos Kiriakis, departed this life; and for the forgiveness of his every transgression, voluntary; and involuntary. Let the Lord establish his soul where the Just repose; the mercies of God, the Kingdom of the Heavens, and the remission of his sins; let us ask of Christ our immortal King and our God. Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord have mercy. For You are the Resurrection, the Life, and the Repose of Your servant, Victor Kiriakis, O Christ our God; and to You do we send up glory, with Your Eternal Father, and Your All-Holy, Good and Life-creating Spirit, both now and ever, and to the ages of ages.

Give rest, O God, unto Your servant, and appoint for him a place in Paradise; where the choirs of the Saints, O Lord, and the just will shine forth like stars; to Your servant that is sleeping now do You give rest, overlooking all his offenses."

The priest stepped away from the podium and sat in a regal chair at the side of the altar.

Justin stepped up to the podium.

“I was only 24 when I arrived in Salem, fresh out of law school, full of myself and ready to take on the world. And when Uncle Victor hired me, I figured everything I thought about myself was true. What I didn’t know is that being legal counsel for Titan Corporation and personal lawyer for a Kiriakis was no walk in the park. And because I was a Kiriakis, Uncle Victor drove me harder than anyone else and expected more from me than he expected from others. I decided it’s why he rarely liked the women in my life [the congregation laughed], or in the lives of his other Kiriakis heirs. It’s because he wanted more for us than we wanted for ourselves. In the beginning, I thought he was unfair. But over time it taught me to work harder than I had to and to expect more from myself than I expected from anyone else. These are valuable lessons that I’ve carried with me my whole life, values I’ve tried to instill in my children.

Uncle Victor may have ruled with an iron fist, but he had an enormous capacity for love. He always had children, grandchildren, nephews, family, friends, and sometimes even enemies living in his household. The truth is, he was never happier than when he had a house full of people. Everyone was welcome to come, to share, and to stay. And I was lucky to be among them. Victor Kiriakis had a tremendous influence on my life and I will always be grateful.”

Justin turned around and approached the casket. He touched his fingers to his lips and then touched the cross on Victor’s chest before heading back to his seat.

Hope approached the podium.

“When I married Bo Brady, I had no idea that Victor Kiriakis was my father-in-law. Trust me, it came as a shock, to both me and Bo. Victor was someone I feared when I was young, and suddenly, I was related to him. What was even more surprising is that Victor didn’t want anything from us—except to have a relationship with Bo. It probably never quite turned into the relationship Victor wanted with his son, but they had a mutual respect and caring. Where I was concerned, Victor was never anything but kind to me because he knew how much I loved his son. And I saw with my own eyes how much he loved my Aunt Maggie and how happy he made her. I know he will be missed.”

Hope turned toward the casket and crossed herself before returning to her seat.

Next, Daniel arrived at the podium.

“Victor Kiriakis was my godfather, but not a godfather in the Corleone sense. He took his responsibility as my godfather very seriously. When I came to visit every summer, Victor would ask me what I liked to do, what my interests were, what subjects I liked in school. More than anyone else, he encouraged my interest in medicine, made me believe in myself, told me there was nothing I couldn’t do. It was Victor who helped put me through medical school. Years later, when Victor called me and asked me to come to Salem to try and save his son’s life, I didn’t know I’d end up staying or how my life would change as a result. It changed my life forever. It also gave me a front-row seat to Victor’s relationship with my mother. It was something to see, something very special. Like Justin said, Victor Kiriakis had a tremendous influence on my life and I will always be grateful.”

Daniel turned and approached the casket. He closed his eyes, bowed his head and quietly stood there for a moment.

When Daniel returned to his seat, Philip rose and approached the podium.

[Kpatch]

Chapter 105

Philip set his notes on the podium and scanned the congregation. It stunned him to realize that he knew almost everyone here. He also knew that, other than business associates, the vast majority of mourners were here to support Maggie. He ran his hand over his face to keep from growing emotional. If he could get through the annual meeting, he can get through this. He began.

“There are many people who thought this day would never come. And there are many of us who can’t believe this day is here. It’s so hard to imagine that anything could break the great and powerful Victor Kiriakis. Victor Kiriakis was larger than life. I think he may be larger than death too.

My father was not a saint, I know that. But Dad had a far-reaching impact on this world. The empire he created became an international conglomerate, changing industries, influencing leaders, employing thousands of people around the globe, and developing charitable foundations that made a difference to millions.

Here in Salem, it was Dad who helped alter the landscape of this town, changing it from a small suburb of Chicago into a metropolitan area with its own airport. It became home to Titan World Headquarters and many other corporations followed. He helped make Salem University Hospital a world-class medical center populated by renowned doctors, innovative clinical research facilities and advanced health care. Dad donated his time and funds to charitable foundations that help support sick and suffering children and their families. And that was Dad’s Achilles heel. Children.

I am in the unique position of being Victor Kiriakis’s only living child and the only child he raised. Except, when you look around the room today, there are many people here who regarded him as a father figure. Justin and Sonny. … Daniel. Brady. And Xander. And he was crazy about his grandkids and great grandkids, especially the girls, like Ciara and Claire.

Bo and Isabella didn’t know they were Victor’s children until they were adults. Despite that fact, they grew to love him, understand him, and respect him.”

Philip turned the page on his notes and paused for an extra minute to collect himself. After listening to Justin and Daniel and Hope, it was impossible not to realize they each had very different relationships with Victor than the one he had. It made him feel like he missed out on something. He could feel the emotions welling up inside but it was too soon to break down now. He brought his fist to his mouth and coughed to clear his throat before continuing.

“‘The older I get, the more I realize that I want my family around me. Close by. It’s as simple as that.’

My father said those words to me more than a decade ago, and I never forgot them. He was telling me that it meant something to him to have me nearby. Now that I have a son of my own, because of Parker, I know exactly what he meant.

Ironically, my father and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye. We had our share of showdowns, but we always loved one another. And he was there for me when I needed him most. It’s the reason I chose him to be Best Man at my wedding a month ago. I feel very lucky that my father and I made peace. We finally found a comfortable footing in our relationship, a mutual respect, understanding and admiration, and for that I am grateful.

I’m also grateful that he found a life partner in Maggie. She brought infinite joy to him in his golden years.

Every one of us in this room … we are all connected through my father and I believe we will remain connected for life through the legacy he left.” Echoing Henderson’s sentiments, he added, “Our lives will never be the same without him.

I want to thank you all for coming out today. Thank you for coming to honor my father and my family.”

Philip picked up his notes and folded them. He turned and approached the casket. Placing a hand on his father’s forehead, he silently said a prayer in Greek, the same prayer he said the first day he visited Victor in the hospital.

[André DiMera]

Very poignant. Particularly now that John Aniston has passed.