Dangerous people
I had a friend over for Dinner on Sunday. I had told the kids that I was inviting a friend from work but I am certain that they were a bit surprised when my friend pulled up on his (loud) Harley, wearing his gang leathers and sporting both a beard and ponytail. He did not look the part of our traditional Sunday dinner guest.
Actually, this guy is more than just a friend; he was my one-time boss and the person who hired me when I began working here almost 16 years ago. He is family to me now. I see beyond his hard looks but I am not above using them to my advantage sometimes as well. Several times when I have seen him out in the wild I have made a point to shake my fist and yell at him just to watch people pale in the anticipation of watching me get killed. Ah, those are good times.
I remember once when we had to go check on some company equipment and because the weather was fine and spring-like, my friend offered to give me a lift on his Harley. There we went – gangland in front and the office in the rear – my tie flapping in the wind. The best part of that memory is that I was just getting a lift from my buddy and did not recognize what a strange sight it must have seemed until much later.
The 12 year old asked if he could challenge my friend to a game of ping-pong, but that was before he saw him. He never got around to making that challenge on Sunday. The kids were not afraid to be themselves around him – we had plenty of bad manners and a lively debate about which of the shows they watched was the most inappropriate, but they definitely gave my friend more room than normal.
He will be back and I will be counting to see how long it takes for that ping-pong challenge to be issued.
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One Man
