[ His mouth opens just slightly, and then closes... He's belatedly realizing he used past tense. ]

Yeah, we talked a lot about him and about... you.

[ It's hard to swallow, suddenly. ]

Karma is the reason I got through the hardest time I can remember experiencing. Without him- [ a smile that isn't quite 100% stable ] -I'm not sure how I would have done.

[ A pause... is what he originally intends for; it winds up leading to him going silent. ]