PROMPTuesday #58: We All Need One

For a good time, call...

This man has 523 Facebook friends.

You probably know him, because he’s been everywhere, and wherever he’s been you can’t help but notice him.  Not that he walks into a room announcing “Let’s get this party started y’all!” (like I often do in my imagination).  He’s a stealth friend-maker.  And he won’t let you NOT notice him.

What he'll do is observe you for a while, and slip in with a compliment on your shoes (which happen to be your favorite pair) or ask to see pictures of your kids (who just happen to be on your mind at that moment). After 23 years of friendship, I'm no longer surprised with his talent for making friends. It's a kind of magic, to see him win people over. Even my parents, being stereotypically overprotective as my Asian parents unfortunately were, gave him free reign over our house when any other boy was not even allowed upstairs.

I once left him for 15 minutes at Street Scene in San Diego, and when I found him again, he was sitting on a wall holding court with 5 girls he’d met in line.  He was drinking wine, telling jokes, and the girls were fixed on him, sort of swaying – trancelike.  The poor girls were glued.  They'd tried to have fun on their own and failed, but this man made them high with self-confidence. They followed us to the Earth, Wind & Fire concert where, in the confusion of crowds tightly pressed together, I managed to help him slip away. 

Now, I should clarify here that this man isn’t looking for dates when he meets women.  That’s not his orientation, shall we say.  Except for my sister, who may have been his last passionate female crush in high school, he is a confirmed bachelor living in the fabulous Uptown district of Hillcrest.

It would be impossible to list all the ridiculous fun we’ve had.  There’s something in our chemistry that manages to attract the most random of people or circumstances when we’re together.  So rather than list them in detail, here are just a few sound bytes from my memory…

	“The roof!  The roof!  The roof is on fire!” – After Dark, Escondido, 1988
	“Whee, I’m Superman!” – Rolling down hills on our high school campus after breaking in on the night of my 20th birthday
	“Hon, I just saw a butt cheek peak out of your dress when you leaned across the bed” – 1989, the first time I knew he would be my friend forever and ever, amen
	“Stop being stupid and selfish!” (me) …long pause, stunned look on his face… “Wow, you go girl.  No bullshit, that’s a real friend.” (him) – Monterrey trip, 1992
	“Wake up!  We’re going taka (octopus) spearing.” – 2am, Oahu, Hawaii, 1995
	“I don’t care if he plays in the NFL! He has no business wearing a rat tail in his hair if he wants to pick up my best friend.” – As he pulls me down the hall of a New York club, 2000

I sometimes check out his gallery of FB friends with fascination. They come in all shapes and colors, a United Nations of pals. Each one of them have shared a laugh with this friend I love so much. But he's more than just a good time boy to me. He strengthens my belief in our society's capacity for acceptance of each other, despite our differences. If he reached 6.7 billion Facebook friends, our world would be a better place.