"Hello, is this you, Christopher?" rings out his aussie accent. Carl appears determined to not leave my side until I have finished this phone call. I will get him for this.
"Yes. Chuck. How are you?"
"Just fine, mate. Really great to see you yesterday. How have you been, my boy, it has been years. Decades."
"There's a lot of story to tell", I stammer. Carl nudges me with his elbow and mouths the word, coffee.
"Do you have time to meet me for coffee today" say I.
"I have a couple of hours free this morning, as a matter of fact." And he does sound completely and plainly matter of fact. So different from the idealistic loner drifting between contracts and adventures that I once knew.
"There's a Bean Around the World at Hastings and Cambie. How about we meet there."
"Yes, I know that place. Is ten too early for you?"
"Not if I leave pretty soon."
"I'll be there with bells on."
I turn to Carl, who hasn't budged from his place right next to me. "He wants us to meet him at ten, same place where we had coffee with Cynthia."
"Us? Dude, you are on your own with this one"
"But"
"No buts. I have to get out to Richmond right away to try to see my mom in hospital. And besides, this is something you are going to have to do alone."
"You are mean."
"I agree", says Francois from the doorway. "Christopher, I will go with you, if I may."
Carl whips his head around to say, "He should be doing this on his own."
"And that is a lot to expect of him right now. We're going together."
"Thanks, Francois", say I. "Thank you so much"
Carl holds me in a near bone breaking hug, loosens his hold, then turns to Francois and says, "Traitor."
"I've been called worse things by nicer people", says Francois returning to the kitchen laughing, and Carl and I are also both smiling...
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