Mister Grandpa

A few days ago, I found out that someone I know was found unresponsive and is in critical condition. For the sake of anonymity and privacy, I will refer to him as Mister Grandpa. Mister Grandpa is one of those people that would leave a piece of themselves behind with everyone they meet like breadcrumbs or marks left on a forest trail. He is known to have a signature scent on him, a hint of citrus and berries, with a good taste of rock music and a smile to go along with it. He would come by at work and refer to everyone as "Ma'am" and "Sir"; I always found that funny because I thought everyone else should be the one to call him "Sir" out of respect. He would randomly ask me if I wanted a snack. "Do you want any coffee? Or candy?," he would say. Every time, I said no because I didn't want him to spend any of his money on me but, every time, I would find candy on my desk. One night, I came in for my shift and he saw that I was wearing a mask. He asked if I was okay. I told him I had been coughing but I was fine. He told me he hoped I'd feel better soon. I said thank you. We went on our separate ways after that. A few minutes later, he came back looking for me and handed me some cough drops with no words said. He was that person. Sweet and kind. Warm. He reminded me so much of my own grandfather. Nice to everyone and always had a conversation for the people he meets. He may have left a piece of himself with all of us but he also took a piece of all of us with him. And he never even knew it. He had no idea that, as he maneuvered through the path of life, he left a mark on all of us like we are the branches and life is the forest trail.

He died yesterday.
It's been a tough week. We all suffer a great loss.
As he suffers no longer.