Robert was a friend; and I mean the real definition of friend, not some show-bizzy version where “my dearest, closest friend” means, “Although we haven’t actually met, the two of us could do business together if someone held guns to our heads.”

We like each other and respected each other, but the first is more important: We liked each other. And I suppose I intentionally started on something else, because there is so much loss in life to balance the gain. I guess we never really look at it each time it shows its face. But there is so much happiness available in life.

And Robert had so much loss in his, but he still had such a gleam of happiness in his eye; and I never knew how he did.