His gait was enough for me to recognize him, but everything else didn't match my memories. When I had last seen him, probably 7 or 8 years ago, he was a sporty tennis player, full hair, always slightly tanned, the handshake warm and full, straight look into your face, no unnecessary smiles. An attractive little fellow. Sitting in my car today, I wanted to turn right and there he was crossing the street, He had put an extra momentum to his gait, but his spine seemed almost motionless. His face was half covered by a mask, in an area where you don't need one, as if he was hiding behind it. He had lost a lot of hair and I know that he must have recognized me too, his eyes were staring ahead in disbelief that he now felt and looked 25 years older. I thought of cancer first, then corona, then hiv. But as always in such situations, the questions will remain, and probably never be answered. Sometimes we know when we see someone for the last time.