Regarding the post below, it turns out that I know too many Gordons. The Gordon I had in mind was Gordon Neilson, not Wilson, but the ol' memory ain't what it used to be. I've decided just to leave it as it is, as I'm sure I knew Gordon Wilson too (though I can't put a face to the name), and it's a shame he's died. Anyway, remember that the following reminiscence applies to G. Neilson and not G. Wilson.
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Reading through an old copy of the local newspaper from July, I spotted a name in the obituaries column that drew me up short. It was for a fellow called Gordon Wilson, who, if it's the same chap, was someone who I knew slightly from primary and secondary school. He was a friend of a friend, and, over the years, we'd nod to each other, sometimes exchanging pleasantries as we passed. The last time I recall actually speaking with him was around 15 or 20 years ago (believe me, at my age, that seems like no time at all), but I'm sure we at least nodded to one another in our local shopping centre within the last 2 or 3 years or so. There's also bound to be a more recent odd occasion or two when I saw him at a distance, but never got the chance to acknowledge him (and vice versa). I always found it odd that my friend had a pal with a name very similar to my own, with only the first 3 letters of our surnames being different. I can't help but wonder if Gordon ever thought the same.
Regular readers may remember me recounting
this tale, wherein the mutual friend mentioned above, on the night his mother died, made his way to a pal's house (I accompanied him for part of the way) to inform him of the fact. Gordon was the very pal, and though I didn't know him particularly well, he was a familiar face from childhood and it's sad to learn of his demise. Tomorrow I'll make a 'phone call just to make sure it
is him, but, alas, it seems more than likely. Ah, where does the time go? As I said, I didn't know Gordon that well, but I still find myself saddened to learn of his passing. Maybe that's a selfish reaction, caused more by the fact that his death marks the disappearance of a small (but significant) part of my
own life rather than the expiry of
his, but it still saddens me that I'll never get the chance to nod or speak to him again. Not in this life anyway.
Condolences to his family and friends. And acquaintances, of which I was one.
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(Given the update at the top of the post, it looks like I'll probably get the chance to nod or/and speak to him again sooner than I thought.)
