A couple of weeks ago, I was in the kitchen making dinner when I suddenly thought about my former neighbour. He lived in the house right beside ours when we moved to Toronto. I remember the first summer, my parents were sitting out in the backyard. They just used the chairs from our kitchen. I think my neighbour offered to bring over his lawn chairs or he just did. The next day or next weekend, he purchased a set of lawn furniture for us.
He was a typical middle class father, proud of his job as a school principal and his family. Throughout the years, he was a good neighbour and got along with our family. Decades later, his wife had passed away. Sometimes he hung out with my dad to chat or to have a few drinks. Eventually his drinking started to affect his health and I think he suffered from dementia. His daughters moved him to a retirement home.
Then a couple of weeks ago, he just popped into my mind. I had not thought of him for years. I remember thinking I wonder what happened to him. That was it. Then a few days ago, my sister (who still lives in the house), heard that he had passed away just a couple of weeks ago. What an odd coincidence. Or was it?