Have you ever had someone who had a big effect on your life die unexpectedly?
Yes, I have. He was my English teacher from eleventh grade, Mr. Najara (I have no idea if I’m spelling his name right, it has been so long). I found out he died through a friend on Facebook about two years after I graduated. What upset me was that another friend was still in school and knew how important he was to me, but couldn’t be bothered to tell me about it.
I was so upset I called my boyfriend (future husband) at 3 am to tell him, and I was sobbing and could barely breathe.
Mr. Najara was just one of those crazy people who can keep you motivated. His projects for the class were interesting and he would always tell us the corniest jokes and would always talk about how much spending time with his family meant. It made him endearing and I was so excited to see him at graduation that he is the only teacher I hugged.
I still have papers of mine he graded, just because of the comments he wrote on them. And I still miss him and wish I had kept in touch with him when I had the chance.
Until tomorrow…
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