There are people and then there are
people one meets along the way. Not all are good, not all are bad. Most are in
between. Then there are those who come forward at a time of need.
I
have not written lately as much as I would like nor, perhaps, as little as you
might want me to. Truth be told, work has kept me away from doing one of those
activities which call to me and to which a good deal of my time could easily be
devoted.
In my
last entry, I briefly mentioned my starting something akin to a “memory book”
about those years of my (our) life spent in the pursuit of the modern Golden
Fleece, in the form of a financial transaction. A question often asked is “Does it really
exist?” The answer is “yes” but it proves to be as difficult to grasp as the
original one. I still question if a completed account of this craziness will ever
see the light of day.
- Why?
You ask… I guess you have the right to… There is the issue of privacy. Mine, my
wife’s and that of some of the people who were involved along the way. Then, there
are moments which when, and if, remembered, would come back to life again with
full, destructive force. There are also other issues which, in a gesture of pure
survival, were relegated to that big delete bin in the memory banks. But, as with
the computer, the delete button is only a palliative. These memories never really
do go away completely.
Several
of those memories (in fact, most) involve people. There are some I would devote
a full page to in an attempt to try and explain their reason for being allowed
to exist. And probably fail to do so. There are some others with whom I gratefully
shared some of this long and often very hard journey. Some are gone, some are
still here. These good ones I would be afraid to lose, as footnotes, within the
telling of this full undertaking. This would not be fair.
There
are several who come to mind. Then there was Chuck. Just that. Chuck. Yes,
there is a last name, but I’ll keep that under my hat, or shirt, or in my
pocket. I met him after we (us, as in my
wife and I) had lost everything we had and before I had my CA diagnosed (how are those for time-life guideposts?)
so it was around 2003. He was a professional and, like many before (and since), had pretty much bet all he
had to pursue that Golden Fleece. He did not win that bet. But didn’t give up.
He was
a short man, a combination of Italian and Irish (so he said) and he became our “Italian leprechaun”. Always smiling
and with a positive word while living a life most would not find much positive
to talk about. Didn’t have much, but what he had, he shared with a person in need.
In those moments we found ourselves in some hotel or place while in the pursuit
of a common goal, we talked about many issues including our families; those who
still walked with us and those who became a casualty along the way. We became
friends. In this business, no one who’s never tried to become truly involved
can really understand what a ruthless environment it is and what incredibly
high personal cost is paid.
In
moments of need he would bring whatever he had and share it. I remember one
time he said to me over the phone: I know you have to feed a family and I am
alone (not by his choice). I sent you
this morning a credit card you can use. The card did come, the funds available
were not much, but he had given us all he had to give. Priceless. Unpayable.
Not
much after that episode, a common friend (another one
I was -and still am- happy to call a friend) called me to let me know that
Chuck had been found dead in the motel where he was living a very lonely life.
A life-long diabetic, he simply did not have the means to buy anything but two hot-dogs
per day and had told no one about this. His body did not take it anymore; it
gave up. A diabetic coma took him. But his memory lingers on, as one of those companions
who made a hard road a little easier to travel while we shared it. For that
time together, I am grateful.
Be
Well … Be Back!!!
Final Notes:
· Pray
for those who are
fighting an illness which may take them away from their loved ones… Every
request is heard, and counts!!
· Follow
us on Twitter … @RJAsPandora
