To Mr. C

My dad just called me to tell me that our auto mechanic died.

That sentence probably sounds wierd to you.  As in, why is it that important that my dad had to call and tell me as soon as he found out?

The C’s live in the house directly across the street from my parents.  I grew up playing with their three daughters, all older than me, who would fight over who got to play with me.  (I was a pretty cute kid).  Mrs. C was always polite and nice, and Mr. C was always smiling and laughing.  He asked you how your day was going and he really cared to hear the answer.  Mr. C had grown up in Greece, in a tiny village where the normal mode of transport was a donkey.  So seeing a car now and then would fascinate him.  He came to America as a young man with his family, dirt poor, but eventually opened up his own auto shop with his two brothers. 

So I’ve been going to Mr. C’s shop for a long time.  Mr. C made sure that all of our family’s cars were up to snuff.  He would check out any cars that we were thinking of buying.  He would check and see what that funny noise was.  He made sure that the car would be ok for a trip to Maine.  These things he did for free, because he wanted us to be safe.  He would tell my parents, “I have three daughters, so I know how you feel. I want to make sure they’re safe on the road.  I want to make sure your daughters will be safe when they’re on the road.”

For the last few years Mr. C had been battling cancer.  He was so proud that my sister and I were doing cancer research, and we would joke that we would find a cure.  It was up and down for a while, sometimes he was really good and sometimes he wasn’t.  But whenever he could, he would be in his shop.  But apparently a couple of days ago he wasn’t feeling well, his liver was failing, and then he died. 

Mr. C was one of the nicest men I have ever come across.  He was always happy, caring, and hard working.  I want to always try and remember his spirit and positive outlook even when life was at its worst.  So here’s to Mr. C.  You were a good neighbor, a good friend, a good man.  And I hope that wherever you are, there are a lot of cars to fix!