Finale

Having friends you know will stick around for a long time is listening to the first 30 seconds of 745 songs for 9 hours on your way to North Carolina...for the weekend. When you finally make it to the dorm room and you’ve had a good day, all you want to do is tell your roommate all about it but she is already crying—so you listen instead. You realize what kind of person you want to be—you don’t smoke but you carry a lighter because you realize your best friend probably already lost his...4 days ago. Having friends you love so much is about doing everything in your power to improve their life including swallowing your pride to talk to the one man you ran away from to improve your own life. I am sitting in the back of a Jeep with my knees in my face to keep my friend comfortable. That is what friendship is. While my friends were having the chance to be irresponsible teenagers, I was paying rent and getting the cable turned back on. Now is my chance. I use my stories to help my friends make theirs. Realizing that all I can do is listen and be there for my best friend, talking him through a custody battle but I can only be there in spirit. It is getting darker and all I can see is the cigarette butt flying back in the window bee-lining its way to my eye ball but I understand that—that is what relaxes her so I don’t say anything. You sleep with a gun and look up to keep an eye on your son; I miss living with you, doing your laundry cause I know you would do the same…I miss living with you, cleaning the house cause I know you had a hard day. I just miss it-- that thing we had-- that connection-- we could talk about drugs, fishing, sex, guns and how to defend myself all in one night. No worries—happy days are near. People just don’t understand, this is what a friendship is about.

"You look good in my shirt"
"Every time I hear your name"
"Put a girl in it"
"You can let go daddy"