The Anniversary No One Likes

Today is an anniversary I don’t like. Two years ago Hugh Braithwaite, funniest man who ever lived, left this year much too early. Hugh lived in the present. When we graduated from college he told people it had been nice to know them in college. He realistically said it was the last time he was going to see most of those people. He was moving on to the next chapter.

Thankfully that was not the case with our small tight group. He did see us. He was Suzanne’s roommate in New York after he finished his lonely year in Miami. He eventually moved home to Philadelphia, the center of his universe. He married the wonderful Carolyn and had three extraordinary children who became his new universe.

He was true to his word about being bad at keeping in contact. Until he was with you, then it was as if you had never been apart and you were drawn into his orbit. That gravity was fleeting as he was always off to the next party.

This was the case the last time I saw him at our Dickinson reunion. He came in for less than 24 hours. Doug and I spent the whole time with him from the moment he arrived at the G-man through the night, looking for a place to eat dinner at 1:00 in the morning to dropping him off at his micro motel. He was going to sleep a few hours before driving off to DC for a family wedding. He sent us a video of him dressed in a beautiful suit dancing away with Carolyn at the wedding. Just wanting Doug and I to know that he was having fun and we were not with him.

Because of the nature of his being terrible at keeping in touch, I still have this feeling that he will show up at the next big thing. I feel like there is a song he will have written and will send a video of himself preforming it in front of an adoring crowd. Or I will get a text telling me to read some profound book he just finished.

When I finished reading Theo of Golden this year I reached to text Hugh, then I remembered. I do think true friends live on with you. I just can’t have a realtime conversation.

I hope Carolyn and the kids are watching all their family movies together today. Hugh lived bigger than most people and he left a millions memories with thousands of people. How lucky I was to be one of them.