Coffee at work

Such a lovely memory from Doris, a coworker at the FDA. Dad always did make a great cup of coffee (or two, or three).

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I will always think of Avi whenever I enjoy a really good cup of coffee.

You see, he and I worked for different Divisions of the FDA, but our Divisions shared a common snack area… and in that snack area a row of coffeemakers worked all day long, keeping hardworking Feds awake and alert. The best coffee – hands down! Turned out to be brewed by the DCaRP Coffee Club, which, honestly, mostly consisted of Avi. Before long, I’d become an honorary member, bringing in sugar and coffee and the occasional box of baked goods in exchange for a trustworthy source of really good caffeine.

Over the years, I’d check in with Avi to let  him know I was bringing in fresh supplies so he could skip a grocery run. I always noticed, always asked, about the pictures on his office door. Pictures of his family. His grandchildren. How proud he was, how fond. It was such a wonderful thing to see a grown man, an educated man, an MD-PhD, just glowing with warmth and pride and delight in his loved ones, so happy to share the latest news when people would ask how his family was doing.

When I left that Division of FDA, I moved to another office, another floor, and it was just about impossible to find time in the day to stop by. How I wish I had. Because I’d bump into Avi from time to time, as I ran from here to there. And he’d always say, ‘stop by, you should see the pictures…’ and I’d always promise I would.

Then Avi’s office went dark.

Then Dan Brum, a PM from DCaRP who’d just moved into my new Division as the Chief of Project Management, came back from a memorial service… for a former colleague in DCaRP… and I asked with dread, and he said, “Avi”.

It’s often said that nobody ever regrets that they didn’t spend more time at the office. What we regret, what we wish we could do over, is time not spent with family and friends. I regret the pictures and good coffee that I missed, the happy family news I never heard, taking for granted that when the mad rush died down, there’d be time enough to stop by and catch up again.

But I know with all my heart and soul and strength that Avi was blessed. He had time to be with those he loved, and he brought them with him every day, all day long, smiling at him right there, from his office door.

Doris J. Bates, Ph.D.