Friendship.........


Several days ago I met up with my oldest friend, Bobby S. We've known each other since we were kids.  I won't say exactly how long. That would give away too much information. It's like a woman not giving up her age. The last time we talked face to face was about nine years ago. Recently, via the Internet, we started conversing again. Small talk at first. How's the wife and kids? Where are you working? How many pets...you know how it goes but, finally we got down to the important stuff. What kind of cars have you had? Are you still racing at the strip?? What are you driving now? These are the types of questions that, no matter how much time has passed, are still relevant. They strip away the awkwardness of a long absence between good friends. The subject 'cars', is the glue, that binds our friendship to this day. Our common love of cars and all things car related forged this bond long ago. We worked on them together, drove them and in a few instances, wrecked them.

As we sat and talked, the subject changed to other things. Old memories rose to the forefront. People, places and events long buried in our mind's archive. Many not thought of in years. Especially poignant, remembering our parents, all passed now but not forgotten. Both our father's were French, our mother's Italian. In addition, both our wives are Polish. Just from that perspective alone, we have a lot in common. However, it's much more than that.

Growing up in our neighborhood was a rich experience. We had many friends and we were all close. We talked about many of them and what had become of them. Recalling times and events. My own recall wasn't as good as Bob's but, as the discussion went on more recollections surfaced. We recalled names, dates and events long ago forgotten. It was enjoyable to step back in time after so many years. Why had we waited so long to get back in touch with one another? We live a mere ten miles apart. I drive near his neighborhood at least twice a week. Didn't cross my mind to stop in. Probably the same for him. Busy lives working and raising families. No time. 

The moral of this blog could be..... if you have old friends and haven't stayed in contact with them, maybe now would be a good time. If you wait too long you may miss the opportunity to relive some fun memories from the past. And in the process, rekindle an old friendship.

Jake T