21 years

January 12th.

21 years ago today I lost a dear friend, my best friend at the time, in a car accident. It was on a Friday night. We were Juniors in High School and he was going to an away basketball game. I talked to him the night of and he asked me if I wanted to go. I told him that I didn't because we had a wrestling meet the next morning, and I had to get up early; and that was the last time anybody other then his parents talked to him.

Even 21 years later it makes me a little sad. He was a good friend to me, and you know those are hard to find. I don't know if we would still be friends today, but back then we were good friends. That was my first real experience with death. A few years earlier I had a great uncle pass away, but that wasn't unexpected like this was. I gotta say I was pretty tore up after that. I don't know if I hid it well to others or not, but it was a hard time for me. You know I had the typical parents and even school counselor talk to me about if there was anything they could do or if I needed to talk, but at that time in your life, at least for me, it was all upside down.
I remember when I first heard. I was at the gym during our wrestling meet, and someone had mentioned it. Of course at first I thought it wasn't true. Then after some convincing from classmates, I quickly called my parents and asked my mom to look through the paper and see if there was anything that mentioned him. There wasn't. I guess it wasn't until later that day that it was confirmed.

So anyway, I have always since remembered this day, January 12th. You know it's one of those things, sad I guess, that at first you think about them all the time, or at milestones, then slowly time slips away, and they drift further and further from your mind.

Today was no different for me then any other January 12th. My day went on. I went about my usual business, but I thought about my friend. I thought about being a Junior in high school. I thought about us cruising for chicks back in the day, or hanging out at his house trying cigarettes. Watching my son play basketball this afternoon in the house reminded me of how me and my friend were on the basketball team together at school, and how bad he was.

Here's to you Brian

J-Tony