Old Friends

I had a dream about a man I worked with, eons ago, in my Back Bay print shop days. John and I had virtually nada in common besides our place of employment and basic attitudes about life and getting shit done proper, fast and the first time outta the box. Also too, music. We hung out at the same clubs – T.T.’s and The Middle East.

What we didn’t have in common – John was a skydiver, whitewater rafter, motorcyclist and all around courter of thrills. He was a bit of a wild man which I totes admired and envied. I've always wished that I had more of that berserk bravery.

We were friends and I’m so sorry that we fell out of touch.

After pressroom days, John went on to college, got an IT degree and a big high paying job. He bought a beautiful, brill home in the northern ‘burbs, began (with his first wife) going on cruises to exotic locales (cruises? seemed pretty tame/titillation-free for him) and bought art  – his new life was going gangbusters. And then his wife, who was a thrillist just like him, needed foot surgery. She was in no danger of paraplegicness whatsoever, just outta commission for a few months. B.A.S.E. jumping was off the menu for a bit, that’s all.

Even so and amazing to me, Kelly fell into an emotional tailspin. She plunged headfirst into a second round of adolescence, quitting the high paying sales gig which she'd enjoyed and enrolling in beauty school. Nothing wrong with being a hair stylist AT ALL but, thanks to John’s big job and her own savings, she could’ve trained for absolutely anything. Before sales, she’d been a physical therapist. Kelly could have built on that – done something in sports medicine. She had the brains.

Instead, she began partying hard core with her younger schoolmates. One day, she came home and told John that she wanted to begin “dating.” We all gotta follow our own path. We all have our own ways of coping. Who am I to crit hers? I guess I just felt bad for John.

So yeah, the marriage didn’t last.

Afterward, he met a very nice, young woman. Heather was more into canoeing an easy stream versus shooting the rapids. Maybe that was John now, as well? They married and, last I’d heard, had a kid. Frankly, isn’t that the ultimate adrenaline rush?

So why did John appear in my dream? //shrugs// Beats the ever lovin’ shit outta me. I’m guessing it’s related to my recent thoughts of reconnection with another old chum. Very cool thing on that front, Jeff’s ex-wife, who read that Ten and I were in the Kennewick area, texted me with Jeff's phone number and personal email address. Turns out, he’s teaching at a new, different college in that very same area. This is, likely, why he never responded to my earlier wut up email (sent to the old school account that I’d found). He, doubtless, never got it.

Jeff sent me a LinkedIn connection request. Balls in my court now, huh?

Old Friends – Simon and Garfunkel