Only The Good Die Young

I got some news last night that was just shocking.

We were at Frick's boyfriend's (yup, Hairball's back in picture) graduation party, enjoying the festive evening. I'm talking in a circle with about 4 other senior moms chatting and laughing, when I feel my cell phone vibrate in my back pocket. I had my cell with me only because Frick was at a call back for an audition for a show she's going to do this summer and because it was making her late for Hairball's party, she was freaking out texting me every five minutes to let me know she would be another 10 minutes, another 20 mins, etc.

This time I figured it was Frick, and mid conversation I pulled my phone out of my pocket and saw a text from the woman I do business together with at the store. It read, quite simply, that "The Long Talker"  had suffered a massive heart attack and died yesterday. I must have gasped quite loud, because the women I was speaking with all turned to me and asked if I was OK. I couldn't speak for a moment. I felt numb. It seriously hit me like a ton of bricks and I simply turned my cell phone around to show them the text. I regained my composure and continued on with the conversation, but I was only half there.


I couldn't get The Long Talker out of my mind.


Now, since I wrote the about The Long Talker some three years ago, he has become a good friend. I have not worked with him in over two years, but I continued to see him quite regularly. He continued to work for my friend in her store and he worked for my parents last Christmas. The Long Talker, while he could talk starving dogs off a meat truck, was one of the sweetest human beings in the world. He was a deeply religious and spiritual man, and was both caring and giving to all who he came in contact with.


The Long Talker was one of the good ones.


He was a genius in his work, but was not a fan of the technological revolution and I think it hurt him down the road. I noticed a change in him last January 2011. He lost his beloved dog, and he never regained that jovial smile he once had. I mentioned it to our co-workers and they all agreed. Something was lost. I'm not sure what, but The Long Talker had lost a step. Even in his work. Looking back now, 2011 was not a good year for him, as he had a falling out with my friend, but I continued to keep up with him, even though he was not doing day to day business with us any longer.  

His wife said that yesterday he was gardening outside and came in to the house, not feeling well. He went to get a glass of water, sat down to drink it and dropped dead right there. He had just turned 60 years old. I'm devastated, really. You never know how important a person is in your life until you realize you will never see him/her again. I hope he is at peace now, and his jovial smile has returned to his sweet face. May God bless his soul and keep him in his good grace. I pray for his family to have the strength to endure life without him.

He was truly one of the good ones.