A little too late
New York, 2016
We’re having a family gathering last Saturday, and I called up a cousin whom I couldn’t reach for the dinner. A woman picked it up after mere two rings.
“Hi, may I speak to Sven?” I asked.
“Who’s calling?” She asked.
“This is Irene, his cousin. We’re now having a gathering, thought to try him one more time.”
“He passed away this morning.”
… …
We spoke once, at length, perhaps ten years ago, I did suggest to meet but he was noncommittal. I didn’t press. Recently when we decided to have a family gathering, I called him a couple of times. Their answering machine’s message is generic, I don’t know if its still theirs so I didn’t leave a message.
Here is his obituary on today’s NYT according to his account.