MICHAEL D'ESPOSITO: Happy
Together
Michael
D'Esposito and his family led quiet lives. "No fairy
tales," said Grace D'Esposito, his wife.
Life passed to the rhythm of daily and weekly
routines. In the mornings, he would kiss his wife while
she was still asleep before he left for work as a
consultant at Marsh & McLennan. In the evenings, his
2-year-old daughter, Ashley, would help him take off his
shoes after work. Mr. D'Esposito, 32, would tickle her
and throw her on the bed while Mrs. D'Esposito
cooked.
After dinner they would watch television, content in
being together.
Conversation centered on Ashley and on all the
improvements around the house that they never got to.
Bedtime was 8:30 p.m. for Ashley. First came a glass of
milk, then a story. Tuesdays were Ashley's swim class.
Saturdays were music class. The weekend was the time for
neighborhood walks with the stroller.
Mrs. D'Esposito does not remember her goodbye kiss
that Tuesday morning. She was at Ashley's swim class when
she first heard. Now the two are taking it day by day.
"We're trying to get back to a normal routine, which I
don't think will ever be normal again," she said.
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