A cruel joke

On very rare occasions, you get a phone call during which, as the person speaks to you, you think “That’s a cruel and silly joke for someone — especially an adult — to play on me.” And then, seconds later, you realize the cruel joke isn’t the phone call, it’s the fact that a young man, someone you’ve known your whole life, suddenly died, leaving everyone stunned and breathless.

This young man, the one who died, wasn’t someone I was very close to, but he was an integral part of my life, on and off, for decades. He was a troubled soul who struggled valiantly against his own demons, and who was never anything but quiet and gentle on those rare occasions when I saw him. It turns out that, while his spirit never gave up, his heart finally gave out.

I’m sad for myself, I’m sad for his friends and family, and I’m very sad for one young man who had so much potential, but could never realize it.