He stood on the other side of the street looking out for me. I almost missed him because this wasn’t at our usual meeting spot. He waved so that I could see him, and I pulled over to the curb.
I watched him as he hurried across the street with his cane. He wore a smile that was infectious because I had a broad grin on my face as well, probably because I was happy to see him too. I hadn’t talked to him in a few days. He came to the window which I had already opened, and the fresh morning air rushed in, I inhaled deeply.
“Let me tell you something; since I’ve seen you, I’m not even good, I am outstanding; you are beautiful,” he said.
“Oh, thank you,” I blushed.
“I knew something was missing in my life,” he continued.
“What is that?” I asked.
“Seeing you,” he responded.
“Ahhh!” I replied humbly. I was surprised at hearing the impact I had on him for stopping to talk for ten minutes.
“Seeing your smile, oh Lord have mercy!” he added in an excited tone.
“It’s been cold for the past few days, how have you been doing?” I asked. I tried not to indulge in his thoughts, so I veered from that path.
“I caught a little cold, so I stayed inside. Each day that I was unable to come outside, I looked out for you,” he laughed.
I have seen him a few mornings as he stood by his front door. He waved as I passed, and I slowed the car, waved back at him, and honked my horn.
He stood by the car and looked at me for a few seconds then said, “You are my dream girl. Do you know that movie, Dream Girl? I wish I was younger because I would chase you around the block. You wouldn’t get out of my sight. Work! Work! You wouldn’t even have to work. Your job would be to take care of me, and I take care of you,” he said then burst into a song, “I work and slave the whole day through if I could hurry home to you, cause you brought a new kind of love to me,” he laughed. I can only dream about you, though,” he smirked. “I will accept just being your friend; that is good enough for me.”
I had no idea what to say here. I was speechless. Here was Mr. T. making his move to a fine young lady. I let him expressed himself in words. That was all he was allowed to do. “Who sang that song?” I asked.
“Frank Sinatra,” he answered, then he repeated the song. “I work and slave the whole day through if I could hurry home to you, cause you brought a new kind of love to me,” he laughed, and I laughed along with him.
“My dear, keep being yourself. You have an irresistible personality, and I am happy that you take the time to talk to someone like me. I made it my business to get out of the house to see you in the mornings. Keep brightening up my day. I need a little shot in the arm sometimes and a breath of sunshine to make my day…” he stopped talking when a horn blared. It seemed like a car drove through the intersection without stopping and almost caused an accident.
“This is what I am talking about; people have no patience or thoughtfulness for others. Unlike you, you are different. I do not have many friends. My routine is seeing you, of course, walking to the corner store to get coffee, and the newspaper, talk to the guys there then go home. When I was younger, I had big dreams and all kinds of illusions of wealth. My biggest problems were my so-called friends. I had so-called friends that were a bad influence on my life. I made bad decisions and suffered consequences because of their guidance. It took me a while to realize that they were not friends, and I couldn’t trust them anymore, so I walked away from them. All those grand illusions disappeared too; they didn’t happen. I am just glad to be alive,” he said calmly.
“We all have those dreams on grand scales of having lots of money; we are only humans,” I interjected. “And, establishing sustainable friendships, remain important as we aged.”
“I just wanted to tell you to be careful of who you call friends because who you think is your friend is not your friend. They are so-called friends,” he warned.
Thoughts from the man in the window.
Our lives get complicated because of bad decisions and the wrong kind of friends. The sad part is that everybody who you think is your friend is not your friend. Some people are manipulative, and you do not want to be on the defense; it is no fun scrutinizing people all the time wondering, “Is this asshole trying to get one over me?” You do not want to live like that. When you get beaten down so much, you become cynical, apprehensive, and you isolate yourself from getting hurt.
Friendships can be helpful or harmful. We need to eradicate toxic people from our lives because they do not bring value to our existence. We know when we are in a friendship that is not good. We know when it is time to expel those individuals from our lives. Do not feel regretful when you have to do this; it has to get done for your sanity.
My definition of a good friendship is when the person has your best interest in mind, and the exchange is a two-way street. Take a moment and evaluate your friendships, if they do not add value to your life, then release yourself from that contract. People come and go as they move through their life’s journey, and we hold on to the ones that created lasting positive impacts on our lives.
We are social beings, and we depend on others to sustain life socially and emotionally. There is a saying, “good friends are better than pocket money.” We support each other through our daily ups and downs. United we stand as friends; we can overcome obstacles and create lasting memories. As our children leave us to start their independence, friendships and companionships become valuable.
Tell your friends that you appreciate their friendship. I appreciate your friendship.
Ok, I said it!