Last night I went over to Carl’s. Mel was watching TV in the living room, flipping between a re-aired Dodger game and polar bear documentary, while learning how to use the remotes. Larry had been tasked with going through closets and drawers that hadn’t been opened in years or decades to create an inventory for the Bonham’s auction. Larry showed me a couple of tarnished brass-brad-bound manuscripts from the 1950s. One was from when Carl wasn’t allowed in the writers room on “YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS,” so he would find his own room and write by himself. Another was a first draft of a novel from around the same time. I would have loved to sit down right there and read those pages, but Larry asked if I had time to go to South Beverly Grill, and I was happy to go hang out with Larry, like friends, like we used to. We drank two Manhattans out of water glasses, both had sushi and a salad. Larry has been vegan since January, when I urged him a second time to watch the Netflix documentary, “GAMECHANGERS”. He said I changed his life, his cholesterol dropped by half, and he has more energy with the kids. Larry is approaching his 60s and has a three-year-old son and a newborn baby girl. Anyway, what I’m trying to “get at” is, while reminiscing about the past eight years, Larry said, “Carl taught me how to order a cup of coffee.” I hadn’t heard this one before. So, he acted out, “You are the best person there is to make me a cup of coffee.” It clicked right away. Yes, making people happy to help you was the sheer essence of Carl’s charm and success. I’ve tried to convey this idea to people a few times, but never as succinctly as Larry had just put it, “Carl taught me how to order a cup of coffee.” Brilliant. Not only did he share his secret to success, Carl showed Larry how to tell a perfect story.