Eric
Harry defended his thesis yesterday. I haven't seen him and Shelley since they moved up to Berkeley almost a year ago. Seeing them reminded me of, in a way, the good old days. Those days when we first arrived, young(er) and enthusiastic about going to graduate school. Shelley was my roommate for 3 years in grad school, and was the one who introduced me to cats.
So why is this post titled Eric? Well, because seeing Harry also reminded me of all the things that have happened in the past few years, including Eric. Harry and Eric were like the best of friends. Back in the first couple of years of grad school we had all hung out together a good deal, going to lunch, dinner, parties. And then we all chose labs, I became a lot more preoccupied with the singing and research, and spent less time with them.
Until the summer 2 years ago, that is. I was at the rose bowl getting ready to go on a run when I noticed that I had a voice mail. It was Eric's sister, Emily, leaving a message to tell me that Eric had passed away. She had been going through the names in his cell phone and calling people so they would know. Later, as I talked to Chris, everyone thought that I already knew, so no one told me until his sister called. Eric hadn't shown up to work for a few days, his friends got worried and had his sister go check in on him. She found her brother dead is his apartment. No one really knows what happened, other than the fact that he died of a drug overdose. It's unclear if it was an accident or suicide.
Later I found out that Eric had been in trouble for almost a year before his death. He was doing a lot of drugs, showing up at work high and shutting his friends out. And there was an issue with a girl. Not that any one of us may have been able to do anything to change things, but I think in a way we all felt that perhaps we could have been a better friend to him. I know I could have. I had been pursuing other interest for a while by then, and the last time I saw him was a month before his death. Who would have know that the next time I see him he would be lying in a casket?
Harry mentioned Eric in the acknowledgements to his defense yesterday. He could hardly bring himself to say "suffice to say he was my friend." That still brings tears to me. Yes, he was our friend. And though he's no longer with us, at least we are left with all the good memories.
So why is this post titled Eric? Well, because seeing Harry also reminded me of all the things that have happened in the past few years, including Eric. Harry and Eric were like the best of friends. Back in the first couple of years of grad school we had all hung out together a good deal, going to lunch, dinner, parties. And then we all chose labs, I became a lot more preoccupied with the singing and research, and spent less time with them.
Until the summer 2 years ago, that is. I was at the rose bowl getting ready to go on a run when I noticed that I had a voice mail. It was Eric's sister, Emily, leaving a message to tell me that Eric had passed away. She had been going through the names in his cell phone and calling people so they would know. Later, as I talked to Chris, everyone thought that I already knew, so no one told me until his sister called. Eric hadn't shown up to work for a few days, his friends got worried and had his sister go check in on him. She found her brother dead is his apartment. No one really knows what happened, other than the fact that he died of a drug overdose. It's unclear if it was an accident or suicide.
Later I found out that Eric had been in trouble for almost a year before his death. He was doing a lot of drugs, showing up at work high and shutting his friends out. And there was an issue with a girl. Not that any one of us may have been able to do anything to change things, but I think in a way we all felt that perhaps we could have been a better friend to him. I know I could have. I had been pursuing other interest for a while by then, and the last time I saw him was a month before his death. Who would have know that the next time I see him he would be lying in a casket?
Harry mentioned Eric in the acknowledgements to his defense yesterday. He could hardly bring himself to say "suffice to say he was my friend." That still brings tears to me. Yes, he was our friend. And though he's no longer with us, at least we are left with all the good memories.
posted by La Nuage at 1:51 PM
1 Comments:
Sorry to hear that. I had (friends)similar experiences, but thankfully nothing tragic becomes of them.
There are some many things that one experiences in graduate life, that one feels so old after that.
Reminds me to care about and forgive people - anyone around me.
Post a Comment
<< Home