To say I’ve led a blessed life would be a major understatement. Right now, with the loss of Claire, my mind is just all over the place and it’s hard to sleep or concentrate on anything. But thinking of all our experiences and adventures together has brought back memories of all the friends we’ve met over the years. Some I hadn’t thought of for a long time, some I can’t even tell you that I remember them, but they’re all a part of our lives and we often talked about them when we were alone.
Yesterday, while I was remembering things about Claire, I thought of a friend of ours that was one of the more unique people I’ve ever met. I can’t tell you his name, or where we met or even some of the things we experienced together…..
He had been many things in life. A young war hero, he had a scandalous love affair and was a military attaché that was sent to jail as a war criminal, he had a law degree, and was a diplomat, among other things. He spoke several languages. He was also a great cook — he taught cooking and wrote a cookbook.
He was also a spy — working in lots of places all over the world. He worked very hard to defeat the Communist movement. Those of us who knew him and worked with him, remember him with admiration. He was one of a kind — like no one I’d ever known — before or since. We learned of his passing a few years ago. That’s one of the sad things about some careers — people come and go, and it’s almost impossible to stay in touch for a number of reasons. I often wonder if any of the “group” attended his funeral. I suspect some kind words were spoken at his farewell, but certainly nothing was said, or even whispered, of his real accomplishments.
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