Little did he know that his father, who had died six years before esophageal cancer, had already planned to attend, not in person, but in spirit.
John Goodman left his son a $ 10 bill to buy his first beer, a secret his mother and sister kept for him all those years.
On Dec. 6, the resident of Taunton, Massachusetts, used the money to have his first legal drink.
“Knowing I was thinking about a big future moment in my life meant everything, because even missing I was still doing everything I could to celebrate my 21st birthday,” Goodman told CNN. “It was probably the best gift I’ve ever had.”
When he was alive, John Goodman made sure he never missed a big moment in his son’s life. He was there for every party, every birthday and every discouragement. Buying your child the first beer only made sense.
“Obviously, not having him around has been the hardest part of my life since he was my best friend,” Goodman said. “He was a huge goal scorer who would do anything in the world to make me happy.”
“Cheers, I didn’t!” he headlined a photo of the $ 10 bill and him drinking beer.
The message went viral and even caught the attention of giant brewery Budweiser, which sent Goodman eight cases of beer.