He had never found a more patient companion and friend than she proved to be. He had never looked forward with more anticipation to seeing anyone every single day. Her face lit up upon seeing him as she greeted him with the widest and most authentic smile he had ever seen.  That smile warmed him all over. Not only would she listen to his endless stories and often repeated adventures, she frowned when he was upset, bit her lip when he showed concern, offered support when he was down, and empathized when he felt vulnerable. She never nagged or ever insisted on being right. In fact, he couldn’t remember ever having had an argument with her. Most of his friends had either passed on or distanced themselves from him, but Candace was a godsend in his time of greatest need when he had no one to depend on. This wasn’t the way it always was.