My friend David C was born on November 7th in the USSR.
“What a joke!” he used to joke, smiling sardonically, because deep down he kinda liked being born on The Great October Bolshevik Revolution Day.” It made him special. Everyone remembered his birthday. It was so hard to forget the day ingrained in our Socialist being by our Socialist Educators. David was so anti-Soviet, anti-Socialist, anti-Communist, anti-USSR. More so than many people I have met and I’ve known plenty who were anti- all that through my journey.
David loved to tell fibs about his Jewish grandma, She was probably the most beloved woman in his life. Except Luba. But David’s Jewish grandma tales were numerous and hilarious. I wish I could at least recall one, but no – they all left me. The laughter never did. And that’s how I remember David — always ready to make me laugh,
Oh, I was a very tough customer then. Depressed and unconsolable at the onset of our friendship, I became stronger and clearer daily under David’s fellowship. He was patient, wise, and very intelligent. Not in the traditionally expected way, but in the best possible of ways, because David was a philosopher. Lonely, heart-broken, responsible and committed are words that come to mind. Unattractive is another,
David endured separation from the love of his love best he could, but in the end it got him, along with the incurable aggravated debilitating MS.
We all went far, his companions of the early days in America. Some became rich, some excelled in their careers, all got married, some got divorced, some had kids. He was deprived of all that. After suffering privately, sheltered by his family from outside interference, from the age of 27, he had a massive stroke, and became completely submerged into his immobile world. What thought went through his brilliant mind, what anecdotes, what romances, what dreams he fulfilled, only he knew.
27 years after he got ill, he died on Lenin’s birthday, a couple years ago – a lasting joke! I am convinced, he is laughing with me as I write down this tribute to my very dear unforgettable friend.
I love you, David C. Always do!