This story does not have a happy ending.

I walked into my kitchen and met Adam Cohen. [READER]( The Daily Reader One day, years ago, I walked into my kitchen and met Adam Cohen, a lanky young man, sitting at the kitchen table. Adam was my youngest daughter’s high school sweetheart. This was what you might call his “meet the parents” moment. In such moments there are basically two phases of life. In one, you’re the kid at the kitchen table meeting the “old man.” And in the other, you are that old man meeting the kid. I’ve lived long enough to have played both roles at one time or another. And I can tell you from experience—it’s a little awkward from both perspectives. But I’ve got no complaints about Adam. He was polite and friendly. Very smart. Loved sports: the Cubs and Bulls. And hip-hop—knew the lyrics to so many songs by heart. One time I came into the kitchen as he was reciting some to my daughter and her friends. He stopped when he saw me—a little embarrassed. He was shy like that. He was quick to help my wife, if she needed to get something off the top shelf. Those long arms came in handy. Plus, he and my daughter had a lot of fun together. So, yeah, I lucked out when he came into our lives. In time, my wife and I met Adam’s family. His parents (Michael and Lisa) and his sisters (Sarah and Adina). Sort of blew my mind when I met them. I come from a family of fighters—red in tooth and claw—who were generally at each other's throats. But the Cohens were sweet and loving and supportive of one another. Lisa, Sarah, and Adina had beautiful voices. Hang around long enough and at some point the Cohens might start singing a song. It’s nice to know good people actually exist, even in a world with so much cruelty. Adam and my daughter broke up soon after high school. You know how it is—kids go their own way. From time to time, I’d hear updates about Adam. He went to college at Tulane—in New Orleans. Joined the Peace Corps and went to Togo—in western Africa. Studied journalism at Medill—in Evanston. Moved to Washington to work as a science writer. And then to Tel Aviv, where he worked as a content writer for a web development company. Along the way he learned French and Hebrew and Spanish and Kebu, a language in Togo. He was a real man of the world. His life was a journey—who knows where it would take him next. As you might suspect, this story does not have a happy ending. On June 14, Adam died in his sleep of natural causes. Just a couple of months shy of his 30th birthday. Last week there was a funeral at Anshe Emet Synagogue. Must have been over 200 people in the sanctuary, including kids, now grown up, I hadn’t seen in years. His parents and sisters and cousins and friends gave testimonials. And they played a video of Lisa and Sarah and Adina singing “[Lecha Dodi]( a lovely Hebrew hymn, as Adam accompanied them on the guitar. For a moment, it was like I’d gone back in time. Rest in peace, Adam—the lanky young man at the kitchen table, whose journey through life ended way too soon. Listen to [The Ben Joravsky Show]( [What Ben's Reading] - [Sooley by John Grisham](. What can I say? If Grisham writes it, I will probably read it. The man knows how to tell a story. This one is not a courtroom thriller. It’s about a college basketball player. Good read. - Kerry Reid on the masterpiece that is [cullud watta]( at the Victory Gardens Theater - [Ben Joravsky]( on Chicago’s bizarre kindness to Trump [Best of the Ben J. Show]( - [Salem Collo-Julin and Kerry Reid]( . . . a Chicago Reader Special - [Heather Booth]( . . . a pre-Roe Jane - [David Faris]( . . . the Demented Republicans of Texas [News & Politics]( [Testing the waters]( Precious Brady-Davis hopes to make history as the first Black, openly transgender woman elected in Chicago. by [Katie Prout]( [Assessing the assessor]( Fritz Kaegi discusses his role in reforming an office known for patronage and favoritism. by [Kelly Garcia]( [Second time’s the charm?]( Gun-violence advocate Kina Collins takes another run at Danny Davis. by [Jim Daley]( 🗳️ Today is the day! The 2022 Illinois primary elections are underway. [Here’s everything you need to know!]( [Issue of June 23 - July 6, 2022 Vol. 51, No.]( [Summer Theatre & Arts Preview]( [Download Issue]( [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2022 Chicago Reader, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616