To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure

Hello Stephen’s family and friends!

I just got permission from Mrs. Stephen to blog. I kept reminding her to add me. Now that she has added me, her delay has become my urgency! Verzeihung??!! But, I am forgiving and am ready to blog.

It’s been an interesting read while I twiddled my thumbs and waited for Shyla to let me blog. Oh hell! I said I forgive her, so I will TRY not to bring it up – AGAIN.

I may be the one on this blog with the shortest association with Stephen. But what an association it has been! We met a few years back, under the most stressful conditions. A complex and high profile corporate restructure. We had a strict code of conduct for this restructure including off work/off premises code of conduct.

Stephen and his team from Dubai were initially looked as such – THE team from Dubai. He had a flair for language or should I say flair to divert a situation. On the second day of strategy planning and without being able to give more details – there was an uncomfortable silence in the room about an inevitable decision. No one knew what to say next.
Stephen said - Wie sagt man .... auf deutsch .. has shit hit the ceiling yet or is there more?!! We didn’t know if we could laugh for many reasons - he was a senior manager, what was impending was a tall order but Stephen went on to excuse him for a cigarette break. I think we all needed it but we were all just too tense to declare a break just one hour into a meeting!
In the smoking room, I went to Stephen with an intention of getting an insight of his thoughts. While he was very friendly, I got his message – no insights! Remember the code of conduct.

Stephen was a very intelligent man. We all knew he was a Chartered Accountant. But we watched in sheer fancy the dignified manner in which he strip teased the clothes of our IT department. He challenged their 21 man hours required and brought the delivery period down to 10 man hours. It was indeed very difficult to keep our giggles under wrap for this meeting. Over a round of beers later that evening, he apologised to the IT guys. That’s where we learnt he is a qualified computer genius as well.

The guy never seized to amaze us. He could never be stereo typed. We could never classify him in a category.
He was a stylish computer whiz. He had the typical IT guy back-pack, but in it he also had a complex Canon with zoom lens. A hobby that was common to us.

He would take off his jacket, roll up his sleeves and loosen his tie to fix a computer problem for someone else as he would sit with IT and help them with system requirements.

He would camp out or stay with the gang at motels and we were surprised when we found out he drives an Audi and BMW.

We would ask aloud ‘How did you do that?’ for all the keyboard shortcuts he used during presentations and would secretly ask ourselves ‘how does this guy afford so many pens, ties, shoes and suits!’

Stephen could have a conversation with anyone about GFC, politics, history, culture, religion, cooking, kids, travel – I am sure all of you would agree he was very well informed of everything.

Eventually our families became close. And we realised his motivator. It was you Shyla. One could see the sheer excitement when the both of you planned weekends and public holidays across duty travel schedules!
I remember when Stephen said one day he was nicking off early ‘for a coffee meeting!’ We knew he was meeting you. And that’s how we landed up seeing you the first time. We took his mobile and laptop so he couldn’t let you know there were 7 others coming for the ‘coffee meeting!’ And trust me, we all felt a bit bad when we realised you were taking a flight out after 4 hours to UK. But you can’t complain. You know two weeks later, we freed up Stephen’s calendar so the both of you could do the Scotland drive for the long weekend.

Ofcourse, I won’t forget the F1 Silverstone, which you unwillingly gifted to me. I thank my stars you goofed with the hotel and eventually agreed for Stephen’s option to stay at a motel, BUT refused to share the toilet with other guests:) . Net result - mir! I got your tickets - grandstand view opposite the pits! Danke Liebling, Danke! But I still don’t see any likeliness between Stephen and Montoya. A bunch of crazy [I think drunk] fans mistook Stephen for Montoya, took his autograph, followed us to our motel. It became annoying. We decided to change to a bigger hotel for much bigger bucks, just because we feared for our security, our car and our cameras!
And ofcourse we were [pleasantly] surprised when Lesley and you arrived to join us at the hotel where you had a plush and private bathroom! How you managed to get and coordinate flights during the busy race time and make it there in less than 24 hours still beats me – but then again, Stephen’s explanation is good ‘She is in the airline industry!’

Lesley and I still admire the both of you and your relationship. You would never bat an eyelid when Stephen flirted! Infact he would do so right in front of you. What confidence. You would never dance with another – not even with me! He would drink, you would not. He would smoke and you would not. He loved to drive and you hated to drive. Yet the both of you would enjoy at the bar and you would drive him home while he navigated for you from the non driver’s side.

Karaoke night – you would put up with his Led Zeppelins’ and he would put up with your Celine Dions’. Eventually you guys would share the couch with the Scorpions and the Rod Stewarts.

Being married you guys still shied to kiss in public but Stephen forever had a protective arm around you which would tighten in public crowded places.
Both of you and your relationship - quite unique, fresh, magical – so full of love and life.

As Lesley and I write this blog, we figured this about the both of you. Hope you won’t be offended that we are blogging this, but it’s very cute and almost so pure in a way!

Stephen - Heading a unit of more than 70 strategists and accountants, would still go ‘Oh fuck! I suck at packing my clothes, wish Shyla was here!’
Usually I pick him up when he is in town. Usually, he is in the driveway waiting for me. The one day he was not, I walked inside and found him struggling with his breakfast and he said ‘Mate, I can’t seem to package this sandwich, Shyla would foil wrap this so well!’

Shyla - Heading cost centres across Middle East and Africa and now in Australia, Shyla would go ‘Ummm, hang on Lesley, I am not sure which credit card to use, lemme call Steve!’
And Lesley said there is the one time you needed to write us a cheque. Lesley thought you were looking in your bag for the details and you pulled out your phone and said ‘Steve, what’s my bank account number? … Oh! Ok and do I write One Zero Five One or do I write One Thousand and Fifty one?!’

Successful corporate models, but so interdependent on each other for life’s basics. And so simply in love with each other.

Borrowing this off J.K. Rowling – ‘After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.’

Like I said to you Shyla, Stephen was always a few steps ahead of all of us. And he has just moved on to his next adventure. He will reserve the best grandstand seats for the both of you.
While he is having a good time with most things in the next sphere, he will be pretty hopeless without you for the smaller things that matter.
So I am sure there is a part of him that will always be with you, an invisible arm around you – guiding, protecting and loving you.

Cheers to Stephen and you for being part of Lesley and my life – for showing us what love and family values are all about.

Leslie and I will surely be in Sydney for your birthday!

So chins up my lassie and race along in life and we will all catch up with Stephen for our next adventure.