Yesterday was Aiden's last day of work. Wyatt's too, for that matter, but that's another story. This morning Brent and I were the only people who accompanied Aiden to his cab. It was raining cats and dogs. Final cigarette, final words. It was even tougher to say goodbye than I'd expected. I was sobbing uncontrollably, while Brent was awkwardly fishing for a piece of tissue.
There are no words to describe what I truly want to say. All I can say is that I cherished the last few moments that we spent together - a fortnight ago in Nuremberg, last weekend in Ingolstadt or earlier this week hanging with some friends (Mickey and Wren) at the huge farewell party. But mostly yesterday on a rainy Wednesday morning, the both of us sitting outside a tiny café sipping Latte Macchiato and chatting for hours during actual office hours.
Don't you think that we used to have less problems when we were younger, he asked on our ride home from Nuremberg. "Not really", I replied, "They might have been different and they may seem ridiculous now, but they felt like real problems back then." He laughed. "It's incredibly smart thinking. You know you're gonna recover from anything that you'll come across."
I also appreciate the tough moments throughout the last 2,5 years - that day when I was working overtime and Aiden brought me some self-made Chinese 炸酱面, or on a late February evening when Wyatt and I were in Aiden's office desperately looking for advice, or yesterday at lunch when Wyatt and Aiden hugged each other goodbye in front of the entire gaping company. Aiden openly had my back, when most people had already turned against me.
We weren't always close, not at the beginning at least. I am grateful for how far we've come and for everything that he taught me. I wish I'd made more of this short amount of time. Aiden is finally moving on after ten years of serving the company abroad and living a mostly miserable life. He was only 25 when he first got here. Tomorrow he'll be back with his family and working for the future chairman of the company.
We're gonna see each other again, he shouted in the pouring rain while climbing into the cab. I know that, I shouted back.
