Missed his shadow when he was gone. He was a silhouette mostly. Sometimes though I caught him whole, looking down, like a bear wanting into a cave.
Still think about him when I'm down there, looking up from wires and cables, breathing in that damp-rat smell. One night it was cold as hell, crystal-clear sub-zero cold, and we were working on laying in new cable-pipe, and I remember just looking up and I could see him almost floating up there like he was stuck in glass, motionless, just staring down at me. I saw his eyes, open wide like he was taking in all in, his brain just a big camera inside his skull. He needed to know. You got that feeling, and I looked up there and said something hey buddy or whatever and as soon as he heard me say something, as soon as he realized I was looking back he was off.
But then he'd be back an hour or so later and I understood.
This was our relationship. I didn't even know he drew pictures. Just thought he was interested in the work we were doing.
Still miss him. Even now.
