I met this guy, Mr. D, at our home in probably 1982. He was a friend of my roommate. He was very funny. We all ended up working at the same place, writing laws for 34 million people, each of us in different departments.
He played jokes on us all the time. When I tired of my current chairman’s staff (the chief got nasty because I worked for his boss’s boss and he always lost) I asked for a transfer. I got commerce, D got small business and we shared an office up in the attic of the capitol building. There was a hesitance to put us in the same office together as while we both worked hard we were a force to be reckoned with, especially together, and our humor knew few boundaries.
Before the annual “company” picnic we’d go out to the toy store during lunch and search for things. Look, plastic ants! So we secretly placed them on the company cake. We also went there several times a year to find small gifts for his two kids. We were buddies. I’ve always loved his wife and we’ve all been friends for years.
Since he played so many tricks on staff I decided to play one on him. We got new-fangled land line phones one year and could use speed dial. He told me he had already placed his wife and mother-in-law on speed dial then left our shared office for a meeting.
I re-programmed his phone with inappropriate numbers from the back page of the Village Voice. He tried to call his wife and got one. He called the company and said something was wrong with his phone. I was on the other side of the partition and it hurt not to laugh out loud. They told him somebody must be messing with him. Yep, you deserved it, D!
He’s my age, retired and has a debilitating disease. I spoke with a friend of his today who told me that long after we parted ways (bad new/old boss for me) that as he climbed the ladder with different organizations, he used to ride a bicycle down the hallways with a pizza box as a delivery boy. That’s D!
He is retired now, but has made great strides in the world through his life, family and work. I’ve heard that their eldest is home now to help, and that their daughter is getting married. I wish D and MG strength, give my love for them and their children who I held as babies, and for them as a couple.
No-one could ask for better friends and while we’ve been apart a long time I still think of them often. We had some good times together. Cheers and best wishes from Dee
ps Don’t keep a hold of your heart, give a bit away as much as you can by loving others. I’m a D as well. Dee
Cooking with Dee 
We all went down to D.C. for the first ever MLK Day. We attended many events including a ceremony at which Coretta Scott King spoke. When we left New York State we each had to bring something. I was detailed to sodas of everyone’s variety. I delivered them and D said, “you’re not allowed to have any, we’re not about to stop at every gas station, tiny tank, for you.” We have to get to Washington. He actually called me tiny tank!