Eric, Santa Fe Misses You…….. But I Miss You More!

IF YOU READ J4K ON A REGULAR BASIS THEN YOU MOST LIKELY KNOW THAT FOR THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, APRIL HAS BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT MONTH FOR ME.  I CAN GET ESOTERIC AND SAY THAT IT IS PART MY SPIRITUAL PATH TO GO THROUGH A QUASI DEATH AND REBIRTH DURING THIS MONTH.  I REALIZE THAT, FROM A PSYCHOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW,  I HAVE MENTALLY SET MYSELF UP FOR A CHALLENGING APRIL.  BUT WHAT I DO KNOW CLEARLY AND SADLY, THAT MY GOOD FRIEND ERIC LAMALLE PASSED AWAY IN APRIL OF 2013.  AND THIS,  I AM NOT MAKING UP.

ERIC WAS MY CLOSE FRIEND, AND HE AND I SHARED DIFFERENT THINGS.  ONE WAS A LOVE FOR AESTHETICS.  I STILL REMEMBER, BESIDES HIM BEING HANDSOME, THAT HE HAD AN IMPECCABLE AND FASHIONABLE WAY OF DRESSING.  ALL OF OUR MUTUAL FRIENDS AGREED THAT HE WAS A PLEASURE TO THE EYE. HE ALSO ALWAYS HAD A COMPLIMENT FOR THE WAY I LOOK.  ANOTHER CONNECTION WE SHARED WAS THAT WE BOTH WERE FOREIGN TO THIS COUNTRY.  WE WOULD HAVE LONG TALKS OVER A GLASS OF WINE, EITHER AT HIS RESTAURANT, RISTRA, OR AT OUR OTHER FAVORITE PLACE, LA BOCA.  I WOULD LET MYSELF INDULGE IN HIS KNOWLEDGE OF FOOD AND WINE.  WE WOULD EAT, TALK, AND LAUGH A LOT TOGETHER (EVEN THOUGH SOMETIMES, SINCE WE BOTH HAVE SUCH THICK ACCENTS, WE ONLY UNDERSTOOD ABOUT 60% OF WHAT THE OTHER WAS SAYING, BUT IT DIDN’T MATTER).

ONE OF OUR FAVORITE TOPICS WAS LOVE AND OUR OWN SEARCH FOR LOVE IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY, AND HOW OUR NATIVE LANGUAGES (HE SPOKE FRENCH, AND I SPEAK SPANISH) CREATED A BARRIER FOR US WITHIN ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS.  ONE NIGHT AT ONE OF OUR GATHERINGS, NOT TOO LONG BEFORE HE PASSED, BETWEEN FOOD AND WINE WE TALKED ABOUT HOW THAT IN EACH OF OUR LANGUAGES SAYING “I LOVE YOU” IS VERY SPECIAL.  IT SEEMED TO US MORE SPECIAL THAN HOW IT IS USED IN ENGLISH.  FRENCH AND SPANISH ARE ROMANTIC LANGUAGES, COMPARED TO ENGLISH THAT HAS GERMANIC ROOTS.  IN SPANISH, YOU SAY “TE AMO” AND IN FRENCH YOU SAY “JE T’AIME”.  WE FOUND THAT IN ENGLISH, MOST PEOPLE TEND TO USE “I LOVE YOU” IN PLACE OF “I LIKE YOU”.  WE WOULD KEEP SAYING TO EACH OTHER “I LOVE YOU” IN THE AMERICAN WAY.  FOR SOME REASON, IT WAS VERY AMUSING TO BOTH OF US.  SADLY FOR ME, I WILL NOT HAVE THE CHANCE TO TELL HIM THAT SINCE OUR CONVERSATIONS, I HAVE DISCOVERED THE JOY OF USING “I LOVE YOU” IN THE AMERICAN WAY.

IT DOESN’T MATTER THE LANGUAGE, LOVE IS LOVE.  AS ALWAYS, THAT EVENING WAS VERY PLEASANT WITH MY FRIEND ERIC.  LIKE THE GENTLEMAN HE WAS, HE WALKED ME TO MY CAR, AND AS I WATCHED HIM WALKING AWAY HE LOOKED SO SPECIAL AND HANDSOME.  I COULDN’T HELP MYSELF FROM SHOUTING TO HIM “ERIC, I LOVE YOU…IN THE AMERICAN WAY”.  HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID WITH A BIG SMILE “I LOVE YOU TOO!”

THAT PROBABLY WAS ONE OF MY LAST EVENINGS WITH HIM, BEFORE HE DECIDED TO TAKE A DIFFERENT PATH THROUGH THE UNIVERSE.

ERIC, WHEREVER YOU ARE…I LOVE YOU & SANTA FE MISSES YOU!