Francis sighed as he ate slower. "He could be miserable, he'd be happy again. He was a wonderful guy. Me? It destroyed me."

Gabriel watched him quietly. "I'm sorry..." he said quietly. "What was he like?"

Francis had a small smile on his face, a very genuine and warm one as he looked away. "Oh.. He was amazing.. He worked hard and was a.. mostly honest guy. He helped everyone and always had a smile on his face. He always did what he could for others, even just to cheer them up. I never met anyone like him before or since."

Gabriel smiled back. "That sounds like a good friend to have, and a privilege to have known."

Francis nodded and smiled sadly. "I think I was the worst thing to have happened to him. He deserved better.' he looked back down and ate slowly. "But he was. He was all that and more. And now the world's worse without him."

"Would he have looked at it that way?" Gabriel asked.

Francis chuckled weakly. "Of course not, but that doesn't make it untrue."

Gabriel frowned, wishing he had words to say, but he couldn't come up with any.

Francis looked up and frowned. He waved closer. "You forget to eat? Sit and help me eat this. It's too much, I don't want to make myself sick or for any of it to go to waste."

"I just ate..." Gabriel protested.