Daniel and I were very close friends. In fact, we were as close to each other as two brothers could be.
I was taller than him by a head. I would not say he was overweight, but he was a pudgy little guy. Aside from his size and his corpulence, what was the most noticeable was his rusty dishevelled hair. Countless freckles largely covered his chubby cheeks. He always grinned broadly to everybody so that we could see his perfect straight white teeth.
He was the youngest in a family of six children. He was convinced he had been unexpected since there was a great difference of age between his siblings and him. All his brothers and sisters had left home or were on the verge of doing so. Most of them were old enough to get married or they already had gotten a job.
His parents were deeply involved in a union, and as members, they regularly attended political meetings so that Daniel was often left alone at home.
We usually spent our spare time at outdoor games. Although he was not the sharpest pencil in the box, he always hunted down ideas that provided us hours of exciting games. Nobody could vie with him at building a hut in the woods. He also made the best bows and had the best shot among all the guys in our neighbourhood. He looked like a bit of a lout, but in actuality, he hid an extreme sensitivity. He could not stand boys who were cruel to whatever the animals.
He used to take in his home all kinds of injured or stranded animals that he came across while we were wandering in our neighbourhood. They ranged from ordinary cats to tortoises, birds or even snakes that had a genius for getting on his mother's nerves. He was the ideal friend, always willing to lead me into enjoyable and unforgettable outdoor games. Every day, once I had finished my homework, I slipped away from the house to join Daniel in our headquarters.
Daniel never did his homework. He used to say: “I don't need to study to become a vet, I know how to cure wounded animals and I already know how to take care of them.” It has been many years since our paths separated. Since, I have made my way in life.
A few months ago, I came across an article in a newspaper. It read: the police discovered last Monday morning the dead body of a single homeless person. The man apparently lived in a dilapidated hut in a wood behind a garbage dump. The ASPCA intervened to collect numerous dogs, cats, birds and other wild species living in the hut. It seems that the man looked more after the animals than he did after himself.
This man was Daniel.
I guess he made his way in the life he had chosen.
