I have been thinking of Jess since yesterday. A series of incidents at work brought back some happy memories of my first friend at Google, Jess. I am unable to get her off of my mind since yesterday, and today it got even worse.  I tried to share my nostalgia with someone who also knew Jess. I wanted to just have a moment of reflection when we both miss Jess and think of her. But the moment never came. And the sheer cold behavior of this person, sent me to a memory hole I knew I could not recover from.

I knew the day had just ended for me right there. So I just walked back to my desk and shared my frustration with another common friend who knew Jess. I was disappointed in humankind. Very disappointed.

Jessica was the finest 25 yr old I ever knew. She was smart, dedicated, caring, loving, affectionate, hard working and very adorable. She was like the younger sister I always wanted. She died a few days before she was leaving Google. When Jess died, I realized how vulnerable human life can be. She was with us one day, and the next day, she was in the hospital, and the day after day, she died. When we all came to work, we were informed about her sudden departure. A lot of the folks on the team had never experienced a moment like that before. I on the other hand, was a veteran. And I sent people home, one after the other. Some wanted to hustle through the day. I convinced them that nothing good will come out of that. Some listened, and some hustled. I also hustled to give them company.

I cannot forget that day. It was one of the tougher days of my life. 

Jess was a bundle of energy. She was always so animated when talking about the product area she used to work with. As I type, I can hear her in my ears. Her gestures with those slender fingers, indicating how little her PA cared about Support is flashing in front of me. I cannot help but feel her agony. Jess cared. 

Even today when I type jes…. in the to field of compose view, it auto-completes to jdegeorge@ It felt nice to see her name pop up.  It’s been a while, Jess. You are missed.