Misty was given a bit of bad news yesterday. Actually, “bad” doesn’t quite cover it. She hasn’t exactly been handling it well, and I daren’t say I blame her. However, before I tell about it, let me give a bit of background on us…
Misty and I met on IRC something like twelve years ago. While we became close friends back then, we became involved with other people. Misty ended up having something of a relationship with this Australian named Craig, and I ended up having something of a relationship with Missy. Over time, both Misty and I ended up breaking off our relationships with Craig and Missy respectively, but we both remained good friends with them. Misty and I both accept that they have special places in our hearts and we have absolutely no problem with that.
Anyway, Misty had been on edge recently because Craig had been out-of-pocket due to eye surgery he had a month or so ago. She finally got in touch with him yesterday or the day before, and he apologized for not answering her, as his PC had been auto-signing on to his IM services. So, of course, Misty asked how he was doing… and he dropped the bombshell on her.
“Dying, actually,” he replied.
Apparently he was diabetic and had not been taking care of himself. As a result, his vital organs were beginning to fail on him. The doctors are unable to tell how long he has, though, but he’s making peace with himself. Misty’s not been handling it well, but I’ve been trying to comfort her as best I can.
It’s tough losing a close friend like that. I know I probably wouldn’t handle it well if something were to happen to Missy (which is a reason she never tells me when she goes in hospital or gets very sick). Still… at least we get the time we had with them, and such friends affect our lives profoundly, whether for good or bad. And losing such a friend can be an especially lonely experience; the best I can do is hope to be there for her, to comfort her as best I can.
I hope I’m up to the task of comforting her, and I hope Craig’s time left is as comfortable and free of pain as possible.