Goodbye Mr. D

                                           

I remember each time entering Mr. D’s room. Even before I had a chance to ask how he was feeling he always said “Hi Blondie,” the name he had given to Maggie.

Mr. D passed away last week. He was one of my regulars at the VA hospital and definitely one of my favorites. You never heard a complaint come out of Mr. D’s mouth. Always a smile on his face. His favorite topic-baseball-and I never admitted I didn’t fully follow the game. He probably knew but never let on. We danced around the topic. We enjoyed each other’s company and conversation. But most importantly he enjoyed his time with Maggie. I know Maggie enjoyed her time with him as well. When we turned the corner near his room she used to pull on her leash eager to enter his room. This past time she pulled on the leash and then stopped. The smells were different. She looked up at me.

“I know,” I said “I miss him also,” I told her as I patted her head.

Is it wrong of me to ask how he passed?

I was told Mr. D was transferred to the main hospital for a procedure. He was left alone momentarily in search of a consent form. When they returned … he had passed.

So like Mr. D. No complaints, and in his own terms.

Goodbye and a salute from Maggie and me.

You will be missed.