I came 5000 miles for a dinner. Call me crazy.

Last edited Sat Oct 5, 2019, 12:37 PM - Edit history (1)

The oldest active member of the outfit I work for turns 80 tomorrow. We had his birthday dinner last night here in Dallas. I flew in from Düsseldorf on Wednesday, and hid from him until showing up at the restaurant last night.

This guy has worked for us full time for maybe 20-plus years, but has been in the field for maybe 40 years before that. One of his daughters was in a car accident around the time he started with us, and became addicted to painkillers while in treatment. She moved on to harder things since. She had a daughter with one of her boyfriends, and about 4 years ago decided she could no longer handle the daughter and her drugs, and so ditched her daughter onto my colleague, who at age 76 had to become a parent again. He sacrificed all his free time for his granddaughter, blew ALL his savings and his retirement money on rehabs for his daughter, all of which have failed. He no longer has a cent to his name except his salary. Our top brass showed up last night to assure him that he had a job with us as long as he wanted. They also presented him with a check for $100 for each of his 80 years, which he desperately could use.

He has taken ALL his setbacks in stride, maintains his good humor as best he can, and never blows up at ANYBODY. The head of his division read off congratulatory notes sent in from Germany, Canada and England, as well as exotic places like California. His granddaughter said how much she appreciated his stepping in to be the father she never had. He was practically in tears when he saw me, because I had just talked with him on the phone from Germany on Tuesday, and never told him I was coming. The air fare ran me a goddam fortune, but this guy is one of my best friends, and I would have paid double if I had to.

The birthday dinner was held at Truluck's here in Dallas, and our outfit picked up the tab, which had to have run in the thousands.

I go back tomorrow, and I will be a wreck when I get back to Europe Monday morning, as I have stuff to do in three different countries before the weekend. I'll be sleep-deprived for a while.

It won't be the first time. Sometimes friendship just has to take precedence.

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