Post 2945 - Sunday

I returned to the city late this morning, in part because of a disturbing email I got Saturday afternoon.

Turns out that Ron Roberts, subject of my first Frank Magazine interview in 2014, was in the hospital. His various ailment are about to take their final toll, and he has refused all medications save for those that would provide him comfort in his final days.

I was in touch with his cousin last night and today. At 2pm, when I got the news about the medications, Patricia and I headed out to see him. I know that Jeannette Chisholm wanted to come with us, but there was no time to arrange to meet up with her. Sorry, my dear.

We saw Ron for a few minutes. He has a superbug of some kind, so we had to gown up and wear gloves before we could go see him. He was tired, but greeted us. We chatted for a few minutes, until we could both see he was getting even more tired, so we took our leave. How do you say goodbye to someone without actually saying "goodbye"? I am not sure, but we all know that would be that with that.

I take some measure of pride that, less than a year before his inevitable passing, Ron Roberts got some press again. After too many years of not being in the news, or being on tv, or being on radio, he got to be in Frank Magazine because of my interview with him. He told me that he would be on his scooter at Sobeys and a woman would accost him and ask if he was Ron Roberts. When he replied in the affirmative, she told him she had read and enjoyed the interview very much.

I will long cherish the hours I spent with Ron Roberts. I wish they could have been larger in number, but I will have the memories, and the archived audio files, for the rest of my life.

Been a bad weekend. First, one of my favourite authors as a young 'un died. Ruth Rendell wrote some terrific crime stories. I know her for her short stories, but she produced a great number of novels as well. Then, I got the news about Ron Roberts. And those two pieces of news were after I visited my parents' grave.

Guess that is it for tonight.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy