So today would have been my best friends 36th birthday and I wonder where he would have been in his career and life if he had lived past 26. But this morning I was remembering the first time I left home, I mean really left home. 18 seems like 100 years ago.....
So I was 18 and looking to change jobs, when my longest ( best girl) friend in the world Crystal got me a job at the hotel Prince of Wales in Waterton - I was so looking forward to the move and getting to spend a lot of time with Crystal - that didn't happen - stupid job put us in different rooms and on opposite shifts - to say I was homesick would be an understatement.
Now at the same time my best guy friend that I ever had was working his way through Architecture school at a call centre for Safeways floral department. So I could at least call him for free to a 1-800 number and boy did I ever. He was awesome - tried really hard to cheer me up - promised to come visit on his days off (which he did) but the best thing to cheer me up was so unintentional but so perfectly Chris.
Chris decided that maybe if he ordered me flowers and had them delivered that it would cheer me up (and yes I am positive only a gay guy friend would have thought of this). So he did just that. What I received was a dozen yellow and white roses - now you should know that I hate yellow roses and Chris knew this - but it was the card that through me for a loop and the reason I called him so quickly to ask him WTF?? So the card read "My deepest sympathies, time heals all wounds" - are you guessing what happened yet?
So yeah the delivery guy screwed up the deliveries - my one dozen red and white roses went to a funeral with a card that read "Hey, you are finally free - why not party it up instead of being so glum?" I laughed so hard when he told me I cried - I can just imagine the apology to the poor widow that Safeways had to issue and really what a bad reaction to the card would have been. But it worked - it helped me not be so homesick.
And its funny cuz I can almost hear him say "its about time you did what you said you were gonna do" and then he would tell me suck it up buttercup its just a move to the province next to Alberta - its not the moon!
I miss him today just as much as I missed him the day I received the call that he had passed away. And its funny - I really do wonder where he would be? Would he still be teaching at SAIT, would he have finally opened his own firm instead of also working at CARMA and doing his own designs on the side? Would he have finally married and settled down? Or would he still define going to the gym by drinking cosmos at the bar beside a gym as actually going to the gym? And look like he always stepped off the GQ magazine?
What I do know is that he would be happy for me for where I am today, who I am with and who I have become. Because he was my friend, through it all he was always there for me. And I smile when I remember my last birthday I got to share with him when he came up to Edmonton, rented me a limo and we went club hopping, I don't remember the clubs, dinner or the ride, but I remember the 1 dozen yellow and white roses he brought me.
So today isn't about the move. Today is remembering a fantastic friend. A friend that although gone still inspires me. Happy Birthday Chris.
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