Rahul: Hello
Me: Bol kya hua?
Rahul: Arey, Hussein passed away...
Me: What? Are you f*&%*g kidding me?
Rahul: Nahi be. It happened on Tuesday morning. He had a stroke in his sleep.
Me: (Still trying to decide whether to believe this) Is this a joke?
Rahul: No, Lisa and Carl got an email from his sister.
Me: Oh God..
Hussein. A close buddy of mine - who was around me for past five years is no more.. Call it fate, but we always ended up together. First the grad school, then Goldman Sachs - both in New York and Salt Lake City. We grew so close that he started referring to me as 'brother from another mother'. Trust me, he really meant it..
I met Hussein the very first time at the beginning of my grad school. It was my first class, administered by Dr. David Kung - an old professor with wisdom of Confucius and kindness of Santa Claus. Hussein and I were part of a project group for this class. I still remember the number of sleepless nights near the end of the semester when we were trying to finish our project. He used to invite us to his apartment for some delicious Salmon and rice with steamed veggies.
My first impression of Hussein was that of a well mannered gentleman who has seen the world, has been through lot of hardships and the one who values his friends above anything. Professors, especially Dr. Kung loved him for his affable demeanor. We went to Florida together during the Spring of 2008. We met Sara - his then girlfriend, his family - mum and sister when they flew down from UK/Tanzania to see him for his graduation. I still remember the Biryani his mum made that reminded me of home.
Time passed. Hussein graduated and moved to California for job in Summer of 2009. We bid farewell, thinking that we wouldn't see each other much in person. I finished my thesis work in fall of 2009. About the same time, I went for a career fair in Long Beach, where Goldman Sachs interviewed me. At the end of the day, I headed out of conference room, exhausted by all the talking and self-promoting to people who would think I am smart enough to work with them. To my utmost surprise, I bumped into Hussein. He had flown down from San Francisco to interview for similar position in same company :)
I was ecstatic by the prospects that we might end up working together. And it happened. Despite some other offers, I chose to go to New York to work for the wall street giant. We both landed in New York almost the same time - in Spring of 2010. We were absolutely taken in by the grandeur and charm of the Big Apple. Me, because it reminded me of my home town - Mumbai and him because, well because it was New York :)
Every weekend we would meet up when he used to cook up his signature dish - Steamed, salted, Oregano sprinkled salmon with rice and Brussels Sprouts, beans. It is one the tastiest meals I have ever had. Like tourists we visited every famous spot in New York, and eventually became (or pretended to be?) New Yorkers. Six months flew by. It was time to fly to Salt Lake City - a place we barely knew and much of what we had heard wasn't very encouraging.
We landed together in a gorgeous valley surrounded by a serene lake and snow-caped mountains with cozy city at their base. We hardly knew anybody else. Needless to say, Hussein and I along with other friends stuck together. We explored Utah deserts, national parks, canyons together. He was slender to medium built, with great appetite for adventure. So much so that he went from somebody who had barely skied before to a frequent Black Diamond skier in one skiing season. He loved skiing. It was definitely one of the things that gave him utmost pleasure. I have to say that his enthusiasm was quite inspiring and somewhat crazy at the same time :)
Time flies by. August of 2012. I decided to move out of Salt Lake City to pursue other career opportunities. I had mixed emotions. I was leaving behind some of the best folks I have ever met, including Hussein. At the same time Hussein was planning another adventure - to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and take Kenyan safari. As enticing as it was, I decided not to go for it (I so regret it now :( ). Before he left for the trip, we had a lunch together. We reminisced in the memories of last five years. How he had surprised me, Parth and Faiz by his unannounced visit to Texas (when he was in San Francisco). How Parth and I managed to pull the same trick on him during our stay in New York. He was visibly upset with me leaving him, but we made promises to meet up soon.
Like every other time, I thought Hussein would knock on my door in Bellevue, WA one day and would surprise me with his genuine smile. And then repeat the story countless times to everybody! But God had different plan...
He was a genuine guy. He had a big heart and was loved by many. His flare for adventure rubbed on me. I have lost one of my first and closest friends in US. It deeply saddens me and makes me realize how valuable and fragile life is..
May God rest his soul in peace..
Me: Bol kya hua?
Rahul: Arey, Hussein passed away...
Me: What? Are you f*&%*g kidding me?
Rahul: Nahi be. It happened on Tuesday morning. He had a stroke in his sleep.
Me: (Still trying to decide whether to believe this) Is this a joke?
Rahul: No, Lisa and Carl got an email from his sister.
Me: Oh God..
Hussein. A close buddy of mine - who was around me for past five years is no more.. Call it fate, but we always ended up together. First the grad school, then Goldman Sachs - both in New York and Salt Lake City. We grew so close that he started referring to me as 'brother from another mother'. Trust me, he really meant it..
I met Hussein the very first time at the beginning of my grad school. It was my first class, administered by Dr. David Kung - an old professor with wisdom of Confucius and kindness of Santa Claus. Hussein and I were part of a project group for this class. I still remember the number of sleepless nights near the end of the semester when we were trying to finish our project. He used to invite us to his apartment for some delicious Salmon and rice with steamed veggies.
My first impression of Hussein was that of a well mannered gentleman who has seen the world, has been through lot of hardships and the one who values his friends above anything. Professors, especially Dr. Kung loved him for his affable demeanor. We went to Florida together during the Spring of 2008. We met Sara - his then girlfriend, his family - mum and sister when they flew down from UK/Tanzania to see him for his graduation. I still remember the Biryani his mum made that reminded me of home.
Time passed. Hussein graduated and moved to California for job in Summer of 2009. We bid farewell, thinking that we wouldn't see each other much in person. I finished my thesis work in fall of 2009. About the same time, I went for a career fair in Long Beach, where Goldman Sachs interviewed me. At the end of the day, I headed out of conference room, exhausted by all the talking and self-promoting to people who would think I am smart enough to work with them. To my utmost surprise, I bumped into Hussein. He had flown down from San Francisco to interview for similar position in same company :)
I was ecstatic by the prospects that we might end up working together. And it happened. Despite some other offers, I chose to go to New York to work for the wall street giant. We both landed in New York almost the same time - in Spring of 2010. We were absolutely taken in by the grandeur and charm of the Big Apple. Me, because it reminded me of my home town - Mumbai and him because, well because it was New York :)
Every weekend we would meet up when he used to cook up his signature dish - Steamed, salted, Oregano sprinkled salmon with rice and Brussels Sprouts, beans. It is one the tastiest meals I have ever had. Like tourists we visited every famous spot in New York, and eventually became (or pretended to be?) New Yorkers. Six months flew by. It was time to fly to Salt Lake City - a place we barely knew and much of what we had heard wasn't very encouraging.
We landed together in a gorgeous valley surrounded by a serene lake and snow-caped mountains with cozy city at their base. We hardly knew anybody else. Needless to say, Hussein and I along with other friends stuck together. We explored Utah deserts, national parks, canyons together. He was slender to medium built, with great appetite for adventure. So much so that he went from somebody who had barely skied before to a frequent Black Diamond skier in one skiing season. He loved skiing. It was definitely one of the things that gave him utmost pleasure. I have to say that his enthusiasm was quite inspiring and somewhat crazy at the same time :)
Time flies by. August of 2012. I decided to move out of Salt Lake City to pursue other career opportunities. I had mixed emotions. I was leaving behind some of the best folks I have ever met, including Hussein. At the same time Hussein was planning another adventure - to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and take Kenyan safari. As enticing as it was, I decided not to go for it (I so regret it now :( ). Before he left for the trip, we had a lunch together. We reminisced in the memories of last five years. How he had surprised me, Parth and Faiz by his unannounced visit to Texas (when he was in San Francisco). How Parth and I managed to pull the same trick on him during our stay in New York. He was visibly upset with me leaving him, but we made promises to meet up soon.
Like every other time, I thought Hussein would knock on my door in Bellevue, WA one day and would surprise me with his genuine smile. And then repeat the story countless times to everybody! But God had different plan...
He was a genuine guy. He had a big heart and was loved by many. His flare for adventure rubbed on me. I have lost one of my first and closest friends in US. It deeply saddens me and makes me realize how valuable and fragile life is..
May God rest his soul in peace..
No comments:
Post a Comment