Malcolm and I became friends when we were in the ninth
grade at St. John’s. I had heard about the quiet new kid from South
America. No one knew very much about him. Before long, Malcolm was displaying
his prodigious skills both on the soccer field and in the classroom.
One of the first things he taught me and our 14 year old classmates
is that there is actually a difference between South America and South
Africa.
Malcolm’s knowledge of the world as well as his tremendous
depth and complexity made him an incredibly interesting and fun person
to be around. To me what made Malcolm most special, was his sense of
humor.
Everyone who crossed his path eventually found out how
funny he really was. He was a master of the well-timed one-liner and
they could come at any time, at any place, and in any situation. I learned
one evening at a restaurant to be careful whenever I drank something
in Malcolm’s presence.
A couple of years ago, we were sitting at a bar eating Spanish tapas
appetizers. I had just taken a huge sip of water and he said something
to a complete stranger sitting next to me.
I don¹t remember exactly what he said, but it made me laugh so hard
that the water in my mouth ended up hitting a cash register three feet
away.
Shortly before his liver transplant, Malcolm was negotiating
a deal from his hospital bed with a client that still owed Malcolm a
commission. The client had been written off as bad debt by Malcolm’s
employer but he was still calling Malcolm to get help with new projects.
I asked him why he was still talking to the guy. I never really understood
it. Malcolm always seemed to find potential for a good outcome in every
situation. Anyway, Malcolm began negotiating with the client and very
forcefully told him that he really needed to pay his debt. Revealing
his poor knowledge of human anatomy, the client offered to pay half
his debt in addition to volunteering as an organ donor for Malcolm¹s
transplant. They agreed to talk later. Malcolm called me shortly afterwards
and told me about the conversation.
He asked, "Should I take the deal or tell him he
only has one liver?"
Malcolm eventually struck a deal and used some of the
commission to buy a new TV. Using that new TV, Malcolm became the first
person in the history of Hermann Hospital to convince his surgeon to
give him a four hour pass so that he could go home and throw a super
bowl party for his friends.
Malcolm loved to travel and he took a month in the summer
of 2000 to live in New York City. Shortly after arriving there, he got
in touch with our friend Rick who had just gotten a spot as an extra
in the series "Sex and the City". Rick called me the day after
his taping and told me the following story. Here’s what he said: "During
the taping of the show, I was taking a nap on the couch in the casting
room and awoke suddenly and couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Malcolm
casually helping himself to a sandwich and chatting with the actors
and actresses. He wasn’t an extra so I couldn’t figure out how he gotten
in there right off the street. Malcolm very proudly told me that he
had talked his way past the uniformed policeman standing next to the
door."
The funny thing was that it turned out that the policeman
was just a costumed extra on the show that day.
Charles Tashima, another friend from high school sent
an email to me yesterday. I’ll read a paragraph now. "In all, what
really comes to the fore was the sense of the mischievous in Malcolm¹s
humor. I can see his face with that incredible smile – the best ones
were when he looked like a cat that had swallowed a canary. For me that
was the classic “Malcolm look.” You knew that something was up that
something quite funny was about to happen or had already happened. This,
among his countless other qualities, has had a profound effect upon
me as I am sure it has on you."
There are thousands of these stories everywhere you turn.
I only know mine and a few others but I would bet that if you were to
ask the person next to you, they could tell you a funny story too.
If you would like to share a story about Malcolm or a
picture of him, please visit this website. Within a couple of weeks
this will be a place where you can share your stories and enjoy others
as well.
