Pictures of Another Time-7

Don't know if the Reader's Digest still has it's "Most Unforgettable Charater' series
going...but we all have known such people. Today's picture is of one of them I've
known in my life...many years ago when I was singing in a Scandinavian city. His name
was Haffif...and he was from Algeria. When he was young...he was an errand boy around
an American millitary camp in North Africa...part of his growing up the hard way.
When I knew him...he was a bouncer at the bistro I was singing at...six nights a week. He was a prodigious fighter...and incidents involving physical violence...were never far away. One of the legends about this aspect of his life...was that he was the only one known to have thrown six Nordic policemen...up and out of his illegal basement wine cellar. In my company...he was always warm...pleasant...and very helpful...for some reason he seemed to look up to me...and not because of my fighting prowess. At two in the morning...when a group of us were meeting...to wind down...he would be the one...after asking if we were hungry...who would vanish briefly into the night...and after not too long...return and cook us up a spicy feast. Years after I'd left the city we had known each other in...I heard he had been in a fight...with several adversaries...who had given him a terrible beating. I've never heard of him since...but I will always remember his charm...childlikeness...quick laughter...and peacefulness in my presence...along with his legendary bravery. Haffif is the man on the right side of today's picture.................Quester.