A Friend Lost

Got sad news today. Once upon a time, when my parents and I moved to San Diego I had two good buddies; Joann, who lived up the street and went to a different school than I did, and Diane who was a high school friend. Over time her mother, Eunice Mock, Diane's sisters and my parents and I all became good friends.

My mother was always friendly and I wasn't surprised that she befriended Diane's mother. But I was totally surprised that my father became part of the friendship. In later years I decided that my father had a little crush on Diane's mother, Mrs. Mock, but who knows. She was a very amiable person and my father could be very amiable when he choose to! Anyway, soon it wasn't unusual for me to bring Diane home with me after school, and my parents would invite her and Mrs. Mock, Suzi and Heidi in for dinner. Daddy was the one who cooked usually and he was good at it; yummy baked salt cod with olives, tomato paste and rice, lamb chops with mint jelly, oxtail stew, all sorts of dishes he thought they might like to try - or whatever the heck we were having! Diane's family was going through a difficult time around then and come to think of it, maybe that was what softened every one's hearts. Anyway, whatever the reason, there was bonding. The whole time we knew them took place during my final year of high school, but it seemed like a much longer period of time - in a good way.

These days Diane, her sister Suzi, is now called 'Aveeda' and the youngest Heidi all live in Northern California & Yakima Washington. Mrs. Mock, Eunice has lived on and off in Yakima Washington, in Ukiah California with her oldest kid, James (who has since passed away) and recently, back in Washington.

Diane called me today and told me her mother 'Eunice' passed away during the night. I've only seen her a couple of time in the last few years, but she seemed as spunky as ever, though the years of course were wearing on her. I decided to mention her because she had an important role in my life. I will never forget I - still in high school, chatted with her one day and she said something like, '... and you'll do very well in college...' and I was like all 'what? Me? College?'.

Thing is, I had wanted to go as long as I could remember, because when I was very young I wanted to be a veterinarian. But I received no encouragement and frankly, the matter of fact way that Eunice mentioned the idea, gave me pause. She then said, 'Of course you'll do well in college!' and went on about it. She was the first adult that brought up the thought as if it wasn't stupid or only a pipe dream. That re-stoked my then floundering ambitions.

Thanks for that Eunice! While you're wherever you are now, I know you'll run across my mother again. Don't let my father talk your ear off, and hey, look up Irmgard Albertson while you're at it. I know you're all get along just fine.