The first time I saw David in his underwear was about 2 years ago. It was also the last time I ever saw him in his underwear - thankfully - as I accidently walked into his room (aka my Basement) without knocking when we lived together - As with most situations, we had a big laugh.

 

I had only known David for about 2 years, prior to his moving in.   We met late in life at our Old Real Estate Office about 2 weeks before his diagnosis.  I had been at the office for a while and was in a "double office" so when my Broker asked me if a roomate would be ok, I said sure.  David and I clicked right away, he was cool and funny as hell and would have fit in with my best friends I've known for 40 years without missing a beat.  About a week after meeting, David complained about stomach pain, and I of course told him to stop being a wuss and suck it up and go sell some houses - He said " It's been hurting for a while"  so I changed tone and said, well yeah, maybe you should go to the Doctor.  A few weeks later he told me of his diagnosis.  The crazy thing is - other than a few times here and there, we really didn't talk about cancer - It wasn't part of our world, and David being so positive, you really almost never knew.  I never knew David "pre-cancer" but I'm pretty sure his personality was almost exactly the same - which is remarkable.

 

Our Office became known as "Bromania" - We even had our own "Bromanian" flag that my daughter Colored for us on the wall - The joke being that all of the other agents knew we were tight and were "Bros" - An agent down the hall actual coined the term "Bromania" and we ran with it.  Our Office Bromance" was short-lived because David's voice was so boisturous (like he's in a shakespear play) on the phone with clients that we realized we could not exist in the same workspace. - So he got his own Office and we had lunch and breaks every day together in one of our offices. (I also apparantly chew really loud, which David let me know daily)

We had a lot of laughs - I felt like I was in the movie "Wedding Crashers" on a full time basis. We also had a lot in common - both being divorced and money was tight at that time for the both of us - We were both building our client base and when David was struggling to balance, being a Father, Chemo, Real estate and paying the Bills, I suggested that he bag his $1800 rental and move in with me.  Some say that that was really generous, but truth be told, I wanted David to be my Roomate - My kids were only there half the time and the other half was lonely.  David had an uncanny ability to build everyone around him up, and I knew that 3 to 6 months together would be good for the both of us.

I got to meet Sophie and Ophelia during that time, as they would stay over a few nights a week - I finally figured out that Sophie had a beauty mark on her face - so when I would see them I would look at the side of their faces real deliberatly and say " Hellooo Sophie"  They caught on, so would then cover their faces with there hands and run around the house while I tried to figure out who was who. David was an incredible Father - Like not only did he love his girls with all his heart - but the twins always had matching outfits and matching socks - I had long ago adopted a policy of a jumbo Laundry basket in the living room for my kids to just pick out clean mis-matched socks.  David was on his game - he might have stuggled with personal demons in the past, and work was stressful, all while fighting cancer, but he was a true Marvel to watch around his girls - and I know that the time, love and lessons taught will stay with them throughout their lives.

 

David was a good lookin, charismatic Son of Gun - If I didn't like him so much, I'd be jealous. One of my favorite activities would be to steal his phone when he'd fall asleep on the couch (He was single at the time) and swipe all of the Random (good looking) Women on his dating apps. He'd wake up the next day with like a million messages of women wanting to meet him.  He could go out on a date with a full blown Chemo Rash covering 90% of his body and the women would turn into a stage 5 clinger - It was really ridiculous and amazing at the same time. We even had a few "double dates" and by the end of the night it was 2 women vying for David's attention.  It wasn't just the "Barrett" good looks - he had charisma and a depth of character that just drew everyone in. When he got back on his feet and announced his move-out, I tried to get him to stay a bit longer - but no luck.

 

I could write for a lot longer but as I'm running out of room, I'd just like to say that I am Sad and a bit lost, because I lost a good friend.  The only thing that gives me a little comfort is that David went out on top - He had turned his business into a success, He battled Cancer like a baddass (which is why he has always been "Baddass Barrett" in my phone)  He taught and loved his girls in his short time on earth, more than some fathers do in a lifetime - He conquered his personal Demons, and He found true Love - All in the brief time that I knew him. He helped me see things in a more spiritual and compassionate way, He filled me up with confidence and helped to turn the 5 years I knew David into some of the best times in my Life - and the only way I can thank him is to try and carry on and conduct myself the way he would and just know that his spirit is still with us all.  I feel it every time I go to my Basement Room (my kids are all in their own rooms upstairs now) - which I'll always think of as "Daves Room"  He also left quite a few books on philosophy and all sorts of subjects which I will be sure to read.  

 

 

I hope my thoughts can provide a brief moment of solace to the family.  I'll always be around to help out in any way I can.

 

 

Peace and Love,

 

Ben Slater