Two weeks into my new job, a guy in the office was diagnosed with cancer and died. He was absolutely lovely and we had a lot in common and I know we would have been friends if we’d had the opportunity.
The thing is, despite only knowing him for two weeks, I still think about him all the time in work. When I do certain tasks, or when I covertly pour my can of Monster into a coffee cup, or when someone asks me a question I don’t know the answer to (on my first day someone asked him a question he didn’t know the answer to and he got so flustered I couldn’t help but laugh.) I’ll miss him, and I’ll miss the friendship we might have had even though I barely knew him.
The point is, you leave a mark on people, no matter how briefly you know them. In a decade I might not remember his name, but I’ll remember that guy who was determined to get a God Of War tattoo while he still could, and was obsessed with stationery, and rearranged the communal desk every time he used it. And no doubt I’ll remember him every time I drink Monster from a coffee cup.
