Myles - by Dara Simmons

My name is Dara Simmons, although lately people have been calling me… The Gatekeeper.

I remember the first time I saw Myles.

In 1991, I emerged from a morphine induced sleep to find a gorgeous man sitting next to my hospital bed. I thought I was dreaming. But then I heard Marcie’s voice… I quickly figured out that this was the guy, the new boyfriend, Phyllis and I had been hearing about! Marcie and Myles met each other at work and while at first she said he was annoying, really annoying, they quickly began dating. I could see immediately why Marcie wanted to like Myles- after all, he was gorgeous. But it turned out that Myles was more than just a handsome face. In that first meeting, I was also introduced to the intelligence and humor that was Myles Beskind. You have to remember that I had 17 staples in my body, so laughing was not really comfortable for me. And I really wasn’t in the mood to laugh. But although I didn’t want to, Myles made me laugh that first night. Some of what he said that night, I can’t repeat today. It isn’t really appropriate for a place of worship. But one of my favorite lines was something about Marcie really knowing how to show a guy a good time, since she brought him to a hospital on a date!

Over the next 23 years, I found out why Myles let Marcie visit a friend on a date. She was trying to be a good friend and Myles understood that--because he was a good friend. He was there for you no matter what. Lots of our time together was sheer bliss. I am sure Alexis and Vince will agree with me when I say that some of the best meals we’ve had were prepared by Myles. The Bruces and Glassers will tell you that even after running the Peachtree road race, Myles was the best host on the 4th of July. The Pattersons and the Garretts will tell you that Myles and all the Beskinds were loads of fun on beach getaways. But Myles was also a great friend when life wasn’t all about having fun. Earnie and I couldn’t seem to get the nursery ready for our first baby in 1996, so Myles came over and “helped” Earnie paint the room. When I couldn’t drive after my postpartum blood clot in 1998, Myles was one of my chauffeurs and chefs, and when several unpleasantries befell the Simmons-Redwine family in 2006 and 2007, Marcie and Myles cared for Madison and Derrick whenever and however long we were unavailable. I guess he meant what he said in the delivery room the day Madison was born. Myles said he loved our growing family and he would always be there for us.

And it didn’t matter if Myles was feeling well or not. He was committed to living life to the fullest. In the midst of chemo in 2010, we went out for trivia night at a neighborhood restaurant. I will never forget being amazed at the strange things he and Evelyn Walsh knew. Yes, Myles was good looking and intelligent. We came in third mainly because I was the weakest link. And even when he could have played "the cancer card" as a parent volunteer, Myles jogged along. The Paideia dads known as the Chicken Cluckers can attest to the fact that even last October when Myles was doing yet another round of chemo, he cooked for hours before the fall barbeque and remained in good cheer.

Myles’ last blog mentioned that “they” say you can’t take it with you. Another thing that “they” say is that the more things change, the more things stay the same. Things have certainly changed for us now. Myles, who was an amazing man- smart, funny and trustworthy, is gone. But some things remain the same. We loved Myles before Wednesday morning. We still love Myles. We will always love him. I know I will.