“We were just getting to know each other and all,” I continued. “Essie,” Casimir said seriously, as well as comfortingly. “We’ve known each other for two months. Some of the staff members have had my aquaintence for years. But you know me better than any of them ever will. What does that tell you?” Casimir asked, as he sipped down some of his protein shake. It had been a bitter ordeal when the doctor prescribed that he start drinking them. Casimir often complained of the awful taste, saying that they ought to humor him more often.

In the midst of his question, my mind was elsewhere. I had been listening to him the whole time, yet my mind was transfixed on my surroundings; nearby and beyond. I was in deep thought. “It means we have a strong friendship,” I replied, zapping back into the concrete reality.