“What happened? Did you pocket-dial me by mistake?” Grace asked, laughing as she spoke…
“Nope, not at all; I called you on purpose!” was his reply… “I wondered if I could come by tonight or tomorrow. It’s been a while…”
“Well, yeah! I’ll let Mom & Dad know, they’ll want to see you too!”
Which we did. Want to see him. It had been a really long time. Very few of Brian’s friends visit us these days. None in the last year, actually, other than one. This one. He was B’s best friend from first grade until the very end.
It’s not that we expect otherwise; life goes on for everyone, as it should… We understand; people get busy living their own lives. Four years and eight months later, B is just somebody they used to know. Hopefully they remember him on occasion, and maybe even us too, probably considering and then dismissing the thought of coming by: ‘It’s a sad story, terrible circumstances, but what can I do or say? After so much time has passed, it would be awkward to go see his family now.’
What they don’t realize is that for us, a visit from one of Brian’s friends is a wonderful gift…
Especially one from this particular friend.
When he walked through our back door the other night, it almost felt like the good old days. We slid easily into our well-worn roles, catching up and cutting up, trading stories while pretending nothing had changed at all.
B’s friend graduated from automotive school in December and turned twenty-one in January… No steady girlfriend (by choice), working two jobs (ditto), still living at home (tough times), no time for golf (ditto)… He’s extremely busy, like everyone we know…
Which is why his stopping by meant quite a lot.
Maybe he’s more comfortable dropping in than most, having spent so much time with us growing up. Or maybe he occasionally needs a physical link to his memories of B (like we do), and who better to help than us?
Later on, long after he had gone, John said what we’d both been thinking…
“Gosh, he reminds me so much of Brian. After seeing and talking to him tonight, I can just imagine what Brian would have been like. How he would have looked. Acted. What he would have been doing. They were so similar…he’s the closest thing…”
Thank you Lord, for the gift of this loyal young man, who helps keep hope and memories alive in our hearts…
Wishing you many blessings…tg
Tammy will update her blog twice weekly…
