You are the best friend a man could ever have. There will never ever be another like you, Richie, not even close. I wish you could have seen me graduate from med school. I wish you could have met our daughter, Saraswathi. I wish you could have seen Shyamala and I build our first house. I wish I could have told you about how I sat at Swami's Divine Lotus Feet and how He spoke with me. I wish you could have seen me aspire to fulfil the dreams you had for me, my friend. You always saw me for so much more - even i - saw of myself. I became a better human being because you showed me what an ideal one looked like. There's a Divine Discourse of Swami's titled "Friends you need" which itself became a friend to me. In it, Swami says the only true friend one could ever have is God. But I think He was describing you, Richie. Every day I think of you in my prayers, Richie. Have done so for 25 years. And will do so till I join you again. Maybe we will have cappuccino together like we used to at Stars in Newmarket. We will go to an Indian restaurant together and critique the curry. (You'll ask for a finger bowl, no doubt.) We'll talk about cricket and other pressing matters of global importance. You'll turn up with black forest cake for my birthday and everyone else's. You'll drive my length ball elegantly past me. We'll sit in your car and talk and laugh and cry and time will look the other way. For time is on your side, my friend. Everything good - truth, beauty, duty, joy, resilience, compassion, steadfastness, wisdom - is on your side. Cos that's who you are, and always will be. You are the friend one needs.