In August of 2003 I rode up to Morinville to see Richard.
I had a 2001 Triumph Sprint RS at the time.
I hadn’t spoke to Richard since back in 1996 when he called me up at my employer and told me that I had to fix my brother’s car.
I spent 3 days up in Edmonton, and I barely saw Richard.
Fuck, I saw more of Sue than Richard.
And unlike Richard, Sue apologized for the way things had been back in our younger days on CFB Griesbach and CFB Downsview when she was basically the older sister that I never asked for. She did say that she wanted to see Richard and I talk more as we were family. I asked her where Richard was at the moment. “He’s busy, he can’t be here”.
She did manage to get Richard to come home for a diner.
But, it just felt like an obligation more than anything.
When Richard and I did talk, he spent more time bitchin’ about Scott than anything.
He complained about how he was “forced” to pay Scott’s rent.
He complained about how he was “forced” to give Scott his old ’83 Mustang GT so that Scott would have a way to get to work.
He complained about how he was “forced” to give Scott his Astrovan after Scott crashed the Mustang on a traffic circle in Edmonton.
He explained something about Scott getting his ankle broken in a bar fight when someone jumped him for no reason at all.
When I asked Scott about this later, Scott got angry and upset.
I could never figure out if Scott got upset because Richard lied, or if Scott got upset because Richard tried to humiliate him.
This visit was the last time that I ever saw Richard alive.
I didn’t go up to Edmonton / Morinville expecting too much, so I left pleasantly surprised with Sue’s apology.
That almost made up for Richard’s complete disinterest.