The Anticlimax

I waited for years to get in contact with an old childhood friend. This dude and I were extremely close in elementary and middle school, I kind of wrapped my world around him back then. Many good memories were tied to him. Then he all but vanished when I was 14 years old. I knew something wasn’t right the summer before we entered high school. The kid who was hyper, friendly and social in January ’88 became a nocturnal, quite and irritable young man by September ’88. What the hell happened? Over time he wouldn’t answer my calls or anyone elses. On the rare occassions he left the house it was to go to a tutor at the town library, he had ended up dropping out of school. I spotted him a couple of times heading to the library but situations intervened that foiled my attempts to approach him. Then twenty years went by. During that time I was haunted by memories and dreams of my old friend. So many thoughts and speculations floated around my brain. Was he dead?Did he join a monestary? Was he a figment of my over active imagination? None of the above. In fact my old friend was very real and so wasn’t the note he left me in my mailbox in November 2008. Almost exactly 20 years had passed since we last spoke and suddenly and without warning he reappeared in my life. I couldn’t believe it at first. It took me a couple of days to process what had happened. Now I had a whole set of new questions along with the old ones? How the hell did he find me? Where does he live? What does he look like? What the heck happened to him 20 years ago? I needed answers. I felt as though I were reaching an important, life changing chapter in the story of my life. Perhaps. One way to find out. I called the number he left on the note. It rang a few times, then a few more. “Maybe he knows I’m calling and he is avoiding me.”, I thought aloud. Then someone answered. Crap! “Hello?” said the adult male on the other end. At least he sounded like an adult. Of course it was an adult. I knew EXACTLY who it was. The voice had certainly aged. Deeper, calmer and composed sure but damn it tge cadence, pronounciations and other quirks were all like I remembered him.
“You know I thought you said you would call me back in half an hour. I didn’t realize I was gonna have to wait twenty years.”, I said. He laughed. I felt so many emotions. I was actually shaking nervously as I spoke to him. This was the stuff of speculation, stuff that I thought would never actually go down but it was happening. It was as real as could be. We spoke to each other for two hours. Over that time I leaned into him with questions and more than a hint of anger. What I didn’t realize was that he had tried to work up the nerve to contact me over those twoblong decades,he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was nervous and he thought I would bd mad. Well aint that a pip!? That was MY excuse! Shows how well I know human nature. At any rate we decided to meet in person later that week. What transpired is another story for another day but I want you to walk away from this learning at least two things. First, if something in your life is bugging you, someone you want to reconnect with, a goal you want to achieve then here is what you do. DO IT TO THE LIVING END!!! I ripped off Master Shake but I love that sentence. Do whatever it is you have to ftiggin do to make things right in your world. Oh god, don’t sit on it! Time will kick your ass so hard if you procrastinate, I have seen it happen to others and even to myself to an extent or two. Don’t let the same thing happen to you. Finish your business for if you don’t do anything then nothing will happen. Second and last is this. People. You will never quite know what someone is thinking or feeling and you know what? Who cares!! It isn’t your job to guess! If you have something to say to someone, an issue to resolve or if you want to connect, reconnect or get on their pants then guess what? YOU BEST GET ON IT YESTERDAY!! Situations will not wait for you! If you are nervous or scared to confront said person snd you have already let waaaay too long pass you by then it is time to take stock of your remaining courage, knuckle down and deal with whatever comes. Damn it, you may not get anither window of opportunity!! Why I oughtta..if my hands could only reach you I’d..