I was having one of those conversations last night about friends I've lost too young and obviously Owen got a mention. I didn't know it was his birthday yesterday and there's a noticeable amount of serendipity — possibly the wrong word, but I'm nothing if not determined to see some positive element in the way my subconscious works when loss of close friends comes into play.
One of those friends was really quite close in a biblical sense and an old school friend — I'd lost touch with her what with being in a relationship and at the time a young father, but I remember having one of those moments where I overcame HC's objection to my having platonic girlfriends and telling her I was going to write to my friend Lisa that night, only to find out via a phone call the following morning that she had died that very night — I didn't even know she was ill.
Anyway... happy birthday Owen, the space you occupied is still empty but I cherish and embrace the memories.