If we’re fortunate, we have them. A group of friends who mean so much to you that you would literally give them the shirt off of your back if they asked for it. Those special people who you would, if necessary, find bail money for at 2 AM if they needed it. Or, simply just being that set of ears that is willing to listen to you when you feel the need to get something off of your chest. I’m fortunate in that I have three such friends, who I happen to work with. Three people I would literally be willing to commit felonies for if they asked me to. Guys I would give my last two dollars to if they needed it.
There is some common ground among this group of men. All three have two kids, both a boy and a girl. Like me, two of the three are on their second marriages. We’re all married to Filipinas. All of us have many years experience working in the communications bidness. All of us have senses of humor that are just a little bit skewed from what most people would call “normal”.
Henry* is the one that is closest in age to me. We have both “stomped the terra” and I usually start my workday sitting with him in his office, sharing some coffee and a generous helping of bullshit. He runs a successful construction bidness when he’s not working his day job, and at times he’s thrown some work at me when I needed money, even though I am massively unqualified to do any type of construction work.
I’ve already probably committed a few misdemeanors for him, and I’m sure he has probably done the same. One of my closest friends on Guam and reminds me a lot of my late friend Jim McDonald. A dirty-minded middle aged guy in the grand tradition of dirty-minded middle aged guys.
Chris* has been in the cellular bidness for a long time. He’s traveled the world more than a little bit, tells great stories, and has forgotten more about the bidness than a lot of other people will ever know. Originally from the northern Midwest. Knows how to separate the wheat from the chaff and has a low tolerance for bullshit, the kind of person I just naturally tend to lean towards. Chris never lets the little shit upset him, and has always given me great advice when I’ve sought it. He’s also a smoker, which gives us both the opportunity to bounce wild-assed ideas off of each other to see if they pass the “makes sense” test.
James* is, for lack of a better word, a genius. One of the smartest people I have ever known, even though he has had very little in the way of formal training. One of those guys who will pick up a book, get the basics about a piece of equipment, then tear it apart learning everything there is to know about it until he’s an expert. He also has a similar sense of humor to mine, and unlike me, rarely if ever loses his temper. James is always willing to answer my questions, however mundane or stupid, and I’ve learned a lot from the guy and enjoy just hanging out with him. He regularly cracks me up, coming up with angles I find amusing. He was my co-conspirator in trying to find The Kid (a young and gifted Korean guy we work with) a girlfriend or at least a sex partner, and get him away from the computer screen. Needless to say, I enjoy his company immensely.
Yep, these are the guys I run with, the ones I’m closest to, the ones I’ll do almost anything they could ask me to do. My loyalty to them is total and complete, and if anyone messes with them then they have me to deal with as well. There is an old saying that says something along the lines of “a man is blessed if he has one good friend”. There’s no doubt about it that I’m blessed three times over.
*Names changed to protect the innocent as well as the guilty.
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