The Goodbye Guy
-Scott & Joe, friends reunited
Joe, John, Scott, and Jeff
We were four seemingly inseparable teenage friends until I relocated with my family to a different town in 1978. A part of me died when I moved away from my three best friends while a smaller part of me strangely never looked back. Too much time has passed for me to remember which one of us shared his goodbye optimism but nonetheless I remember hearing the following words that the four of us embraced:
“In a short time we will all have driver’s licenses. Distance will no longer be a factor. So we will always be friends and stay in touch.”
A short time can turn out to be never. Jeff moved across the country to start an alternative lifestyle only to never be heard from again. John died before his fortieth birthday. Scott disappeared from plain sight.
From a high school alumni website, I tracked down Scott’s home email address in 2005. We exchanged a flurry of emails but it took another seven months for our busy schedules to jive. Four marriages and seven children between us both, I got to see my friend Scott for the first time in nearly thirty years this past Thursday. It was about time. In the blink of an eye, we went from worry-free pimply faces to mid-life decisions. It is always about time in this game called life. Manage it well or watch it say goodbye to you.
Labels: friends
posted by Joe Tornatore | 7:48 AM
10 Comments:
I hesitate to track down old friends. Don't know why.
Mid-life isn't for wienies, but it has it's rewards. I wouldn't go back.
merci,
Freud's couch can unlock that mystery.
But, somehow, I mistrust a man with a couch...
merci,
Now a man and a loveseat is to be feared. lol
Guess it depends on who the man is...
;)
So are you on vacation this week? Did you end up taking time off? Way to keep the content coming!
E,
Last week was vacation. Back to the grind this week.
Merci,
That is the seat of the problem.
Oh excellent! Before I hooked up with Ed, I had tons of time (mostly lonely) on my hands and decided to look up several childhood pals. One in particular happened to be my best girlfriend from the time we were toddlers till we entered into adulthood. Then, like your friends, we went seperate ways --- until the Internet!
It was marvelous to share our memories back and forth and to chat like it was just yesterday.
Sadly as all hell, just a few short months after we rediscovered one another, she was killed in the World Trade Center. Though our planned reunion never stood a chance, I will always cherish the fact that we were able to reconnect again after so many years.
Looking up old friends is a bit like stealing a peek at our own 'younger' selves. I think it's one of the coolest pastimes in the world!
Hag,
Your story would be sadder if you never reconnected.
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