As coincidence would have it, it was less than a week ago that during a visit to my first school teacher of 61 years ago, he reminisced about his most crowded and best ever class that had been allocated to the smallest room of the school.

He also joked about the luxury of there being not one but three Frankies in that class. One of us was Frans (Sammut).

To me he was always one of the less than a handful whom I considered as my friends because he was a friend in need, dormant maybe for long periods, but there in that instant of need.

He was also one of the very few who appreciated me and I express my gratitude for that, whatever his intentions might have been.

The national literary sphere is as poorer for his demise as the national literary heritage is richer by his works.

Saħħa, Frankie.