And I saw him/Ladder Guy coming and wandering up Country Lane. Black jeans and black jacket his usual walking attire. And I waved him over and gave the open door of my space because I saw a man in need, but in retrospect maybe he saw that in me.

His name is John but we call him Ladder Guy because he always has a ladder propped up against some part of his blue house. We have names on Country Lane like Ladder Guy, Smooth Road Lady, Golf Cart Dude and “Hans.”

He said still stepping before he really stopped to talk, “I’m sure you heard my wife just died a few weeks ago” and on on on but mostly the last part I didn’t hear. My face changed and I said “I didn’t know–> I’m sorry that happened.” We continued

to Talk and exchanged mutual notes on Death and Music and Parkinson’s before Death and Intalco and God and Neighbors and a lot of stuff. He was actively grieving but maybe I am too just not acting like it. It was deep and I know that’s been said before but it was deep.

And at some point we both looked over at a little Halloween spot we have under our only apple tree with bones and lights and chosen rocks and we looked back at each other and didn’t say a word about it but went on to talk about what to do next when a love is lost. And sometimes we didn’t say anything.

He told me I’m lucky but everything’s not perfect and I told him to get a new laptop so he could keep doing karaoke online. And there was quite a bit we didn’t get and many moments on different pages, yet we saw eye to eye.

Don’t really know him after just that encounter, but I know the next time I see him I’ll call him John out loud instead of Ladder Guy in my mind.