35 Years Seems Like Nothing Sometimes

This past weekend, after several months of suggesting and hoping, a friend from my past and I got together for a visit, and it was the first time in 35 years we had gotten together. We not only cleared up some misunderstandings from the past, but we came to realize in just a few short hours that we had taken off where we had left off thirty five years ago.

That in itself is such an amazing thing!

Glen and I used to be very close friends, but like so many people in our lives come and go, he and I kind of went our separate ways back in 1971, each paving our own path that life has taken us down, yet always feeling that emptiness that existed in our hearts since we parted ways.

We used to share our love of music, and we each in turn, turned each other on to some really great music the other hadn't yet heard. Glen introduced me to the Boston Sound, groups like Ultimate Spinach and Beacon Street Union. I, in turn, shared my love of Vanilla Fudge with him in return.

Three nights last week I went into a marathon CD burning spree and burnt my good friend Glen 56 CD's, he in turn burnt me 29. It wasn't a contest or anything remotely close, it was just two friends burning what he thought the other one would enjoy having. I gained 29 albums, plus I regained a bridge that I thought had been burned all those years ago by some stupid misunderstanding.

Glen and I shared some great times together back in the 60's, and we shared not only our music but our philosophies as well. We were both pacifists and we both abhored the VietNam war.

One night all those years ago, back in 1967 or 68, I can't quite remember if it was fall or spring, we shared a life altering experience when the local town drunk put a bullet thru Glen's shoulder as we were driving by his home, which was dilapidated camping trailer set up in a housing addition right down the street from where I live now. Some kids had been "harrassing" the town drunk, and when we drove by that night, we must have been overly loud with our talking and our music, and the old bastard came out his camper door, shot his rifle at us, and Glen took a bullet thru the shoulder. I was convinced only that Glen was kidding me when he told me he had been shot, but after numerous shouts at me to take the wheel, I noticed the blood coming out of his shoulder and thru his shirt. I grabbed the wheel and pulled his car over, and remarkably enough, where the car stopped was the driveway where I now live. After a grand jury inquiry, it was adjudged that because of the harrassing this poor old soul had taken, he was found NOT GUILTY! Not guilty of shooting a bullet thru Glen's shoulder, not guilty of shooting at the car that was behind us that contained my sister, and the bullet that hit the car above the rear window glass, had it come down a mere six inches, would have hit her in the head!

NOT GUILTY MY ASS!

But, had it not been for what happened that night, who knows? Maybe Glen and I wouldn't have felt that compelling need to get back together and rekindle an old friendship. We both feel we were forever co-joined that night because of the experience we shared. It altered our lives and it was a moment when a friend came to the aid of another friend truly in need.

Hell, I didn't even have a driver's license when this happened, I was a year away from that blessed moment in my life, and I've often wondered what would have happened if Glen had been in that car by himself.

But he wasn't, I was there, and I'm glad it was me that took over the car and brought us to a stop and ran to the nearest house and burst in and hollered for someone to call the police.

And while the old bastard that shot him is dead now, I can't help but wonder why in the world he was let off scott free! For God's sake, he tried to kill more than one person that night! Yet, a group of his peers found him not freakin' guilty... I guess this county had a lot of violent and alcohol induced peers back then...

The truly wonderful thing of this whole blog is simply this:

A great friend of mine and I have gotten back together for what we hope will be the first of many visits together for many years to come, and hopefully as time goes by our wives can get acquainted as well and more friendship can blossom and grow between us all!

Thanks, Glen, for taking that first step in calling me, my friend. These years that have passed have seemed empty without you there.

We've got time enough now to let things take root and grow once again my friend.

Thanks, dude!

And a personal hello to a new reader of mine, Wild Bill! While we only get a chance to talk when I'm at work, dear sir, I hope you know I don't just consider you a customer, but a friend as well, and that picture you gave me of the railroad track leading off into the horizon makes me realize each time I see it that I've not that long to go before I walk out the doors at work and finally see those tracks on my own.

Glad to have you aboard, sir!