VIRUS DIARY: A friend dies but leaves something to hold onto

LONDON (AP) — My friend Greg died.I am not alone in losing a friend to COVID-19. But none of them sat next to me at the office for the last decade.None of them was Greg Katz.So though I usually spend my time writing about other people, it’s time for me to do something I’ve always tried to avoid: tell a personal story. I am not used to this.There’s been a lot said in my circles about Greg since he died: his accomplishments, his fashion choices, his devotion to his wife, Bea, his pride in his daughter, Sophia.But what I saw was this unfailingly social person who loved going to lunch and meeting up with anyone who wanted to talk. He sounded like his usual gravelly self, but it wasn’t cheerful Greg that day. “And I wanted to talk to you.’’And then he apologized.He said he wished there hadn’t been so much tension, so many arguments.