This past December I received an email from an old, dear, and distant friend, Mac. It came as a bit of a shock, as the time between this email and the last was quite lengthy. In fact, it had been so long since I’d seen his address that I was suspect, that it was even him. There’s just too much hacking and internet chicanery these days.
My initial reply was brief at best, I was testing the waters rather than plunging in. Mac’s response was something akin to, “Eureka, you’re still alive!” I found this a bit odd since I’ve mostly maintained a fair modicum of health, especially in those years we’d hung out more regularly. Still favoring a more cautious approach, I asked him to, “Define alive?” His next response assured me it was my distant friend returning.
His email was to inform me of the recent death of his Mother. This was a most unfortunate revelation, as I had always thought of her as a sort of surrogate Mother to me. During a portion of my somewhat tumultuous youth, Mac, his Mother, and family had welcomed me into their home at a time I needed their support. I will always be grateful for the kindness they showed me and I hope that at least in a small way it was a beneficial relationship for all of them. I remember this period, likening it to Charles Dickens’, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom… it was the spring of hope,,,, we had everything before us.” We lived and learned a lot!
Mac and I rehashed adventures we’d shared, friends we missed, and tragedies we’d avoided. We both agreed to turn off our wayback machines just before Christmas. Priorities have changed over the course of some three decades, Mac was awaiting the arrival of his children and grandchildren, I am looking to start a new adventure in the Andes or on the Isthmus.
From the sparseness of hair shown in his Christmas card, I hope Mac and Wendy come for a visit and purchase a proper Panama hat. I love you guys!
The Burnt Crust 