Javier

At the end of my first day at my new job, I was worried about my car. I was worried about the noises coming from the front right wheel. It was a brand new town for me and I didn't know where to go or what to do. I came out of the office building and I saw Javier. He was our all-in-one guy. I asked, "Javier, do you know any mechanic?" He looked at me, gave me his warm smile, and said, "Yes, I am one." From that point on, he made me forget all my worries. He took me to his buddy's workshop, told me what was wrong with my car, and advised me what to do. I was relieved. But he was nicer than that. He sensed my loneliness and took me to his house. He introduced me to his wife and kids. It didn't end there. He took me to an authentic mexican restaurant, where I had the best mexican food ever. I was really happy.

After that day, Javier would stop by my office every now and then. I would joke with him and he would offer me some sort of help every time. He always advised me to be cautious of the office ergonomics. I wanted to thank him for the first day. I would never forget that. So I took his cell phone number and made a plan to take him and his family out for dinner to the same place. I was waiting for my first pay check.

Now I was looking for a good day to catch Javier and invite him for dinner. He had gone to Sacramento over the weekend. The monday after that weekend, I returned to office and someone at work told me that he had a heart attack and he was in the hospital. He was only 36, and this news was unbelievable. At the same time, I got really mad at myself. I thought that I should have done this earlier. But that was ok. I just had to wait a couple of weeks.

The next day, an email came with a subject-line of 'Javier's Final Arrangements.' He didn't survive the heart attack. I read it over and over. It felt like my legs were going numb. I couldn't move my body for a few minutes.

They burried Javier in Parlier, California. I saw many people that cried that day. Seemed like I wasn't the only one whom he had touched.

Javier didn't give me enough time to thank him. I still have his number in my cell phone.