To: Luke
From: Owen
Re: The Man
You guys know that I've been in South Carolina for the past four months, looking after my grandfather while he recovered from a rather serious fall and head injury late last year. The good news is that he is well and capable of resuming an independent lifestyle in his home, with the privacy and dignity that he deserves.
The bad news - or at least the bittersweet - is that I have to say goodbye. Tomorrow I am leaving South Carolina. Granddad and I of course have discussed this for more than a month, so the departure is not so sudden as to be sorrowful for us. It's more that I'm melancholy at leaving behind his friends - delightful, fascinating, gracious people, the kind of people whom I never would have taken the opportunity to meet were it not for these unusual circumstances. And as cliché as it sounds, I never thought I would miss them.
Because their generation is given to more privacy than ours, I'm initializing their last names. But I'd be remiss in leaving without a mention of people like Mary B., truly a friend to our entire family, who got the greatest letter of recommendation any Gramercy Park co-op resident ever got; Bob and Rene R., still high school sweethearts after 65 years, and a perfect couple straight from central casting; Jane M., who loves football and the South Carolina heat, and puts up with no crap; Austin and Sally B., a horseman and horsewoman to the last, full of remarkable stories in a life spent with those beautiful creatures; and, of course, men and women of remarkable and humbling devotion to their spouses - Ket, Chuck L., Anne G. and, of course, Fran C., who misses Sam very much.
They're all at least in their late 70s. I doubt they or even their kids would ever have any cause to read this site. But I'd like it on the record that their friendship really does mean something to me. And that I got a little choked up when I left.
Some weekend highlights:
Alright, What Exactly is "Xbox 360 Beta"?
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 not Releasing June 29
There Will Be No "New Game Plus" in Mass Effect 2
EA Might Let You Remap Fight Night - Through DLC
That Hulu That Your PS3 Won't Do
Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ.