Two Deaths

     I lost two longtime acquaintances recently.
     One is a work associate, four years my junior. He had been suffering from a liver disease for a long time and he wasn't able to recover. I used to work with him, and sometimes go downtown with him. He was a nice guy.
     The other is an old gentleman who had been working as a bar hostess(!) for more than 50 years. He was a real man and always served in drag. He was not a man and not a woman in the bar. He had a distinctive character and was very popular among customers. When I was in difficulties, he would help me get focused. His age was in the late 70s. He had no family and no relatives, and no one knew his registered name, so he ended up as a John Doe in a Potter's Field.
     I found myself trying to find the answer to the philosophical inquiry "What is life?"

(Vocabulary)
in drag　女装して
distinctive character  際立った特徴、顕著な特徴
have distinctive character   特色がある
maintain a distinctive character   独自性を保持する
get focused and devoted  集中し専念する
John Doe / Jane Doe
Potter's Field  無縁墓地