This past summer was a difficult time for me, and so I spent much of it thinking about life while drifting on an inflatable tube at a peaceful spot called Indian Brook. I floated up to the banks one day, and that's where I met Ronnie, who was sitting in a chair in the shade. He wasn't on a phone or listening to music or doing any of the hurried tasks that define this era, he was just looking out on the water. I struck up a casual conversation about the sunny day and we shared some of the raspberries from a nearby plant, and I don't know why, but instead of going home, I started asking him questions about his life. For over an hour we talked, and then we introduced ourselves, and I left happy to have met this person who lived in the same town but who I didn't know before that day. I didn't think I'd see him again. However, throughout the summer, I saw him almost every time I went to the brook, we shared more long conversations, and I got to meet his wife Sandy and son Tom. I gained a richer understanding of the history of Essex, the building of the brook, and his love of cooking fish stew. He was full of wonder, delight, and pride when talking about his grandsons. He was so happy when talking about his family, chuckling softly at memories and speaking with admiration for his wife and sons. I remember smiling as he told me about when he started dating Sandy, and asking him for the secrets to a happy and long marriage, to which he responded, "Sandy says never go to bed angry."
I moved to New York City at the end of the summer, and said goodbye to Ronnie and Sandy and Tom as they hitched the boat Tom and I had just gone fishing in to their car. Even though I only knew Ronnie for less than a year, I feel so grateful to have met him, almost by chance, and to have gotten to share the stories of his life. He was a kind and thoughful soul. I will miss him very much but I know for me, a part of him will be there waiting at Indian Brook, sitting in a chair and looking out on the water, thinking of loved ones and reminding me how wonderful it can be to take a chance and just ask a new person a few questions.
