Remembering Charles Mosesian

The Armenian Starbucks . . . the Starbucks in Watertown Square, where you can go at any time of day or night and see folks who look Armenian, hear Armenian spoken from every corner of the room.  That is where I go to get my Armenian fix. That is where I first met Charlie, although I didn't know it was Charlie.


This is how we met.

I was sitting alone, my back to the window, by myself, at the Armenian Starbucks, thinking good thoughts, when I noticed that to my left sat a very old man who looked so Armenian, he looked as if he may have just arrived in the United States from the old country, especially since I never remembered having seen him before.  He was alone and looking straight ahead, nursing his coffee.  I addressed him, speaking Armenian:  "Pari Looys", and he answered me in fluent, unaccented Armenian.  Thus began our conversation.  After about 5 minutes of my struggling to express myself in Armenian, Charlie turned to me and asked in perfect, unaccented English, 'Do you speak English?'  The joke was on me.  And a wonderful joke it was, as it was the beginning of many long conversations (in English) and a wonderful friendship.

Charlie Mosessian, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, passed away at age 97 on July 27, 2010.