Ben Austen

It's you.

I'm not sure that's fair.

But like, you know, you were scared of things that weren't like actually threatening you.

Again, it felt like the ping came back almost like, you know, the moment I press in.

And he starts...

I give thanks to God who has given us life and sustained us and allowed us to reach this moment.

Today is a joyful day.

I can't adequately express how moved I am by your words.

You are a mensch.

I am stunned by the accuracy of your recollection of the 53rd Street Park, now the Harold Washington Park.

To be honest, I struggled with phobia of dogs well into adulthood.

Yeah.

At this point, do you feel like you might have done something to bully him, or do you actually not believe that?

Yeah, I actually don't know.

I mean, the way you frame that, like, I have no fucking idea.

I reach out to Eddie, ask if he's game to revisit the messages we sent back and forth, our memories of each other.

Sure, he says.

It makes sense to do this in person.

He's in Florida, a short drive outside Boca Raton, in a subdivision.

There's a palm tree right in front of us, sculpted bushes.