There’s a diner near us that we go to every now and then.  At least, we used to before the pandemic.

Dave, the waiter, would always greet us.  He would would joke with us.  Tease us.  And chat with us.

Occasionally, we’d bump into him outside of the restaurant, too.

We liked Dave.

Today, we ordered some food from the diner for the first time since the pandemic started.  I didn’t expect to see Dave because there’s only take out right now, no indoor dining.

I asked about him, though.  And I found out that Dave passed away in December.

I don’t even know Dave’s last name.

But it made me wonder how many things have changed in the last year?  How many people in our periphery lives have passed on?  People that we nodded at or smiled at.  But that we didn’t know their names… 

What are the other effects of this pandemic that we won’t realize until life gets back to normal?

© 2021 Peter Gruner