I was reminded of the familiar quote from Alfred Lord Tennyson, “Tis
better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” All who know Mr. Mucus, know he has a love of
life. He approaches all things with zest
and excitement. As if that very minute
was the greatest time of his life. But
it was a much subdued and quite Mr. Mucus that approached. With bowed head and faint voice he said, “Mr.
Brandon, did you hear the news?” Having
shared in the lives of my riders over the years, I prepared to listen. Because of the tone of voice, I prepared for
the worst, already feeling a heaviness in my own heart. “Did you hear, they are closing the Ryan’s
restaurant in town? My father told me about it last night.” I gathered myself and in an equally hushed
tone I said “I know, I heard that too.
What are you going to do?” Then as he spoke you could hear a small
quiver in his voice, “I don’t know,” there was a pause to gain control of his
emotions, “I have to admit when my father told me, I cried a little bit. I had a hard time concentrating on my
homework after that. So last night we
went to Golden Corral and ate. As we
were eating my father looked across the table at me and said, “It’s just not
the same.” Then with feet and heart that
seemed too heavy to lift, he moved silently back to his seat. True love, great are the rewards, deep are
the sorrows.
