On Sunday March 3rd my wife bought a dozen bagels from Brick Lane which I put in the freezer as they were too numerous to eat before going stale. The following day I was told the awful news. So, just as I was thinking that I had far too many bagels in my life, I came to the sad realisation that no matter how many I had, it would always be one too few.
So, goodbye old friend. Goodbye to the boy I met at school where we shared a desk in many 'O' level classes (exams that you passed and I failed- how did that happen?) Goodbye to my fellow 'A' level Classical Civilisation student- (how did we end up reading Homer, Virgil and Ovid?) Farewell to my fellow Southern Californian traveler- well we didn't really travel much did we?- it was more like staying in one place, getting lost. Goodbye to the young man who accompanied me to the frozen north, to Yorkshire, to Leeds for a further education that you completed, and I did not.
Goodbye, best man at my wedding, at which you arrived quite refreshed and then led me willingly down the same path- my bride has since forgiven me.
And goodbye to the dear man, who I know found the restrictions of illness intolerable. It was good to see you during those times too.
Rest well mate.
From John White on 7/03/2013