Death

My morning started out good. I woke up, brushed my teeth and called my friend Daisy! We had planned out a "phone date" today since we live across the country from each other and our schedules don't exactly mesh. We chatted for a couple of hours and then as I was getting off the phone, Trey came upstairs with the mail. She asked me, "who is Michael Murtaugh?" I got a big smile on my face and said, "my friend from PA. Did he send us a card?" (I had sent him a Christmas card last month.) She laid down on the bed by me and said, "he died." Turns out the Christmas card that I sent him last month was forwarded to his parents in Rhode Island. They took the time to send me a letter letting me know that last February, Michael died from complications due to surgery. I am so incredibly sad. I "met" Michael 10 years ago when he called in for tech support on his email. We immediately hit it off and became friends. After I moved to Washington, we would talk on the phone almost every night. He was always a good person to bounce ideas off of, laugh with or even just cry with. I remember the night he called to tell me that he had to put his cat to sleep. (I cannot remember his cat's name, but it was a name from a Shakespeare play.) We sat on the phone and just cried. We had great religious debates...he had, at one point, gone to Seminary to become a priest. He was endlessly fascinated by the LDS religion and we read a couple of books together so he would understand it more. When George and I seperated, he was devastated. When he found out about Trey, he was supportive and loving. At one point, he even offered to be our sperm donor. The last time we talked on the phone was January 2009, about a month before he died. He mentioned he was going to have surgery the following month. I never called to check on him. I got so wrapped up in my own life that I didn't call him. I feel so guilty, so sad and so hurt that he is not here anymore. My heart is sad...and I miss my friend.