A Friend from My Past Whom I Like to Remember

DOCTOR LARRY. I want to introduce you to a wonderful friend from the past, which was a very difficult time in my life. I met Doctor Larry through a friend; they had stopped for a bite at the restaurant where I worked. My friend, a fellow student in my math class, introduced us. Something about him really impressed me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it right away. I was busy when they came in; however, I was still struck with wonder at this man. Doctor Larry was short in stature, but he had a magnificence about him that made him very attractive. His charcoal hair, slate eyes, and ruddy complexion made him stand out in a crowd. He wore casual clothing, lots of neutral colors, which made his appearance even more impressive. When he spoke, there was a command in his voice that could not be ignored. Sometimes he would smile, and then all his teeth would gleam, and then when he laughed, it was a tender laugh, for he had compassion for everybody, and his humor was never cruel. His handshake was firm; his hands were always warm, but he preferred to give hugs, which made everybody like him. In addition to being a compassionate medical doctor, he was multilingual and enjoyed making conversation with anyone he met. Everywhere he went, a person felt stimulated by his articulate conversation, the topics of which seemed to go with his heavy brown sweaters and twill slacks. He had knowledge in his head which could have filled volumes of books on a shelf, and he could talk for hours on any subject. For example, if someone wanted to talk about his or her children or grandchildren, he would listen intently, and then tell them about his son, whom he adored. His son’s name was Steve, and at the time that I knew them, he was 23 years old, and in college just as I was. The two of them made quite a pair, and people would ask Doctor Larry what his son was taking in college, and of course Doctor Larry could talk about his son for days on end. He was so family-oriented that he would go out of his way to help troubled family relationships. Doctor Larry had poor health. He had been born with asthma; he had memories of sickness as a child. He was grateful that Steve didn’t inherit it. Steve was enrolled in the same college that I was, but we were not taking the same classes. His major was computer science; he told Doctor Larry that he never wanted to become a medical doctor, because he didn’t want to see death. Doctor Larry really mourned whenever he lost a patient; he felt for the families who lost loved ones. So you can see why I feel Doctor Larry was special. I remember the last time I saw him; it was on a summer day, and his nurse had just told me that he had undergone open heart surgery. I immediately got in my car, driving the hour it took to get to his office. He was back to work already, and they were telling me he was killing himself. I called him once after that, and never heard from him again. I have my memories.