nice to be seen

That's how our conversation ended, with him saying "nice to be seen".

"Him who? And where was this, anyway? More information, please!"

You're not going to believe this. Remember me saying that I had run into Ed DeVita at the baseball game a few months back?

"Sure, I recall that. Man, it had been a few years since you last saw him. He was the friend of Jeff's who was supposed to video your wedding, but forgot to charge the battery, right?"

Ha! I had forgotten that gem! Yep, that's him.

"So, how is it that you and he were talking now?"

He had called me - last month? - about him cleaning up his phone contacts list and running across my number. Odd, but okay, as we've known each other for more than two decades. Since 1991, in fact.

"And now you're conversing on a regular basis?"

No, actually. I had returned the call, but heard nothing more until this morning, around ten o'clock. He had some appointment that had fallen through and wondered if we could meet for lunch. I told him I could not, as I was due at Armstrong at noon to give a make-up test to a student. (I'm waiting now for her to finish.) He rang off, then called back, asking if he could come over and talk.

Right eyebrow raised quizzically.

Yeah, definitely odd, but I figured why not? So, I get dressed and am ready at the door when he arrives. We sit at the dining room table...

"Not on the couch?"

Nope, I wanted to have a chair between us. After all, no sense in getting too comfortable, right? I knew I would soon be leaving.

"Sure, sure. And...?"

And we talked. Well, mostly he talked. Catching up about Jeff, catching up about his son Dusty - who is now a quarter of a century! - catching up. Then he finally go to the point of his coming over.

"I thought there must have been a reason for him to so urgently need to see you. He's in love with you after all these years?"

Oh, please. I didn't get that vibe from him... I don't think. Then again, he was at my house for an hour or so. In fact, I was a little late getting to the school because we were talking and not watching the time...

"You've wandered off topic, dear. Why was he there?"

He has Parkinson's disease. He was diagnosed with it last year and had been in denial about it. Now, he takes some new regimen of pills, even though they throw him off his game a bit. He was telling me that he's hoping for the best. But he also told me that he doesn't want his grandson to remember him as 'the helpless, drooling, old man in the wheelchair" and that he won't let that happen.

"Wow. That sounds like he would be taking matters into his own hands to curtail his life, didn't it?"

That's certainly how I understood it.
Then I caught sight of the kitchen clock when I got him a glass of water and everything became very rushed after that. I gathered up my things and hustled him to the door, but I did give him a very nice hug, much like those that Hai once gave me.
I thanked him for coming by and told him it was nice to see him again... and then he replied "nice to be seen".
I got the impression he spends a lot of time alone.
Maybe I'll contact him about a movie sometime. He had voiced an interest in "Thor: Ragnarok", so maybe our schedules will sync.
Then again, maybe he had simply wanted me to know what was going on with him, should he suddenly die or something.
I'll have to see if Jeff is aware of what's going on with Ed.

"That would be a good idea. Another one is to pay attention to your test-taking student in the next cubicle."

Absolutely!
Later!
i thank You, God, that i was home when i needed to be.
Right place, right time.