One day the quiet man was not there any more.
It should have been apparent that he had been fading away for some time. In group conversations he rarely spoke - others seldom asked for his opinion or thoughts, and when he did try to speak, someone else would usually drown him out after a few words by talking more loudly and more forcefully. He sensed that people were generally more interested in speaking than listening or asking. Sometimes, when the quiet man asked someone a question, that person would turn and give the answer to the others instead.
On a museum visit with friends, the quiet man might linger at a painting to view it more closely. He would then start speaking about what he had seen only to realize that the others had already moved on. Subsequently they decided that it would be better to split up right at the start to go their own ways.
When the quiet man took walks with the friends, he would take time to look at the surroundings, at the trees and birds, or at the buildings, or at shop windows, and so would slow down a bit. Soon the friends would be far ahead talking with each other while he trailed unnoticed. On one of these walks, he saw and heard a mockingbird singing long and sweetly to no one in particular. It filled the air with melody and the quiet man's heart with joy and beauty, so he stopped and sat there for a long time listening, by himself. He understood.
From time to time he would have a phone conversation with one of his friends. When it ended, the quiet man often mused whether the friend ever wondered afterward about having learned almost nothing about his life and doings.
Fortunately the quiet man was a good companion to himself, so he was never lonely. He kept his interest in the life around him, and almost always remained optimistic that something could change. Still, there were times when a profound sadness enveloped him and just would not dissipate.
After the quiet man had disappeared, friends and acquaintances sensed vaguely that something was no longer the same when they gathered, but were unable to say what it was. Others who had been closer to him thought they might have heard him say that he could be going away on a trip, but they weren't quite sure, and eventually they stopped thinking about him.
And so they all went on with their lives.
Peter E. Schmidt