Do anyone remember Larry?

I lived in Seattle from 2004 to 2011. I did not have a car so I relied on the Metro bus to get everywhere. I was not always a fan of calling Seattle Metro to get directions – unless I spoke to Larry.

Larry was an employee at Seattle Metro from 2004 until about 2007 or so. He was the nicest guy! He had a speech impediment. Every time he answered the phone he said, “Hello. Thank you for calling Seattle Metro. This is Larry. How can I help you?” Standard customer service stuff. But his speech impediment made him speak slowly and deliberately so as to be understood. The sound and cadence of his voice was comforting. I don’t know if he had a disability or if the impediment was a result of an injury or something. It doesn’t matter – none of my business. He was always very, very nice.

The thing is, he was never wrong. Sometimes when I called Seattle Metro I got wrong directions, wrong bus numbers or routes. I would want to go one place but be on the bus for a totally different location. It was often very frustrating. But not Larry. Larry was always right. Always! He never missed. Legendary.

I once told him how nice he was and thanked him for always being spot on. He appreciated that. Then I never spoke to him again. I would call for assistance and he never picked up. He was just gone. I did not call as often as by now I knew what route to take to get somewhere due to frequent bus riding. But Larry never answered a call again. Once I asked a Seattle Metro employee if they had worked with Larry and they didn’t know of anyone with a speech impediment having worked there. Larry just vanished.

I was in a terrible place at the time I lived in Seattle. I had frequent unemployment and a drinking problem (I will be 8 years clean and sober in December of this year). Oddly enough Larry, a Seattle Metro employee just doing his job, was a kind voice in the mess I had made of my life during that era. The way he spoke felt like talking to a friend. He helped me get to jobs on time or to job interviews early to make a good impression. He knew his stuff. In his own way, he made a positive impact on my life. Here was a guy with whatever had caused a speech impediment slaying at being an adult. He was winning the game of life, at least I thought so.

I am so curious as to what happened to him. Is he ok? Is he happy? He deserves to be happy for sure. I have no romantic interest. This is not a missed connection. I just…appreciate his kindness.

Does anyone remember Larry at Seattle Metro in the early to mid 2000s?