He sat down at his desk With his face buried deep into it His sweatshirt road his broadened shoulders Something about this guy interested me He was new, fresh slate at a new school
We exchanged hellos We exchanged names I threw out an invite to chill And he politely and happily accepted
There was something odd about him In a good way Offbeat Offbeat boy I gave him a nickname because his real name was to plain for him
I introduced him to my circle and they didn’t like him at first But over time they became as thick as thieve We all were New bonds were made Bridges built and doors opened
The things he would say So random So off base So hilariously out of place I loved it I always looked forward to what he was going to say next
He was a true friend There was no lying, no evil in him He was pure, a pure person
He loved nature His love was Mother Earth Shedding at tear at environmental ignorance
He was socially awkward He couldn’t talk to girls, or anyone that wasn’t one of us He would get into fight we would have to talk him out of The confusion he gave to the teachers and frustration he gave to the entire student body He didn’t know any better
Writing a funny speech about what he would do if he was voted for class president Then having it being taken as a threat against the school thus getting him suspended and having the police search his house for weapons
The complete disbelief of his guidance councilors And the flabbergasted administrators were all gut busting comedies to us
As we approached graduation news of him going into the navy came about
And we were all in disbelief But it was true A boy who couldn’t life a five pound dumbbell was going to serve our country
Good for him
Even now I can recall our adventures up to that point Staying out late and wandering the streets in the middle of a cold winter night Cat calling at the mall, trying to pick up girls Breaking things Invading private properties Avoiding police entanglements Detentions Suspensions So many laughs So many memories
When he left it was as if the once bright aluminous room we all shared was a little bit dimmer But we were full of pride We knew he would shine on else where
From Michigan to Texas to California for boot camp and training he went Our friend went on a journey, his own journey
One year later, we all await his return
He is back, oh the change is overwhelming He shines brighter, he’s witty He’s mature, bold and confident
He’s become a man, he found himself
He has claimed his long sought after love
The one who has been walking a difficult path and strides in beauty
He made passionate love to her last night He woke up from her house and came to mine at 5 AM
I awoke to find him sipping coffee in my kitchen; he had a smile in his heart that was bigger than the stupid grin on my face I sat and talked to him, chugged my coffee and got dressed
No we were going on another adventure, two weeks Two weeks with him was all I have Then he’s being deployed for two years He speaks of oncoming war with Syria and North Korea His views have changed He believes in war My, my I’m astonished This is my friend? The awkward, soft spoken dude in my history class? Now I wait to see what happens next With one of my dearest friend, Chives