2006-01-19

R.I.P.

This is a serious post about something not related to China, so feel free to move along if you aren't interested.

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The other day, I got an email from my parents. A very good friend of mine from the old days passed away.

When I say "old days", I do mean old days.

Rob was my best friend all through Jr High and High School.

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We met the first day of Jr. High. I was the new kid. I had just moved into town a short time before. At the urging of some of the other kids in our homeroom, we got into a fistfight.

Neither of us was much of a fighter, and nobody really "won" the fight.

From that moment forward, Rob and I were friends.

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We lived one block away from each other. Most of the other people from our school lived a few blocks closer to the school.

We hung out constantly.
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We got into trouble together. We avoided trouble together. We did stupid things. We did (almost) smart things.

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Me and Rob and Steve. Me and Rob and Terry. Me and Rob and ....

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I helped change his brother's diaper. I got hit in the head by a brass lighter that his other brother threw (30 feet). We shot marbles out of his window with a wrist-rocket and hit his neighbor on the wrist (on the rebound! I swear!)

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After I moved away to college, we lost touch.

I came back once or twice, and we hung out. But, things had changed. It wasn't the same.
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Fast-forward 20 years or so....

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Last year was a school "reunion year". Class president got my email somehow. Rob saw my email, and said howdy. I said howdy back. A couple chats back and forth.

And then I got involved in the details of moving here. And, the fact of moving here. And, the reality of moving here. And, then being here.
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And then I hear Rob died.

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I have nothing witty to say. No snide comments. No stupid jokes.

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I just hope Rob understands how much I appreciate his impact on my life. Whether we talked daily, or once a decade... He was, and always will be, my friend.
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That was a very nice tribute to Rob.
I'm sure his family would like it.

10:18 PM
Anonymous said...

Hay Mike! (As Rob would say in his deepest voice) HOWDY! We received your e-mail was very pleased to hear from you. How could you possibly ask if we remembered you? You were running in and out of our house, and eating out of the fridge so ofter we threatened to take you as a Tax Deduction. You said your folks said the same thing about Rob. We even took you with us to Disney-land, and to this day Andrew can tell you what brand of shoes you were wearing, what clothes you had on, and what candy you were eating at that time.
David and Andrew are grown up, and both ended up taller than Rob. They have both served in the ARMY and are home now.
I tried very hard to let you know about Rob, and was so please to read your entry in his Guest Book, which we have sponsored for life--so it will be available anytime you want to post to it, or read it.
Rob never got to read your e-mail you sent him--he was in so much pain the 29th of Dec that he was taken to the Hospital by ambulance. They started preping him for surgury that evening. He died at 4:40AM the morning of Dec 30, 2005, from an abcess that the doctor said was larger than a huge Mellon. I guess when they opened it the abcess spread all through his body and stopped his heart. What confused me was when I went in after to see him, the only way I could reconize him was by his tatoo on his arm. His face was all black and blue and purple. He looked like he was beaten to death. The doctor said that if he would have had an anti- biotic by August he would never had any problems. He went to 5 different doctors and was in the emergency room of the Good Samantian Hospital (where he died) 2 weeks before, and at that time he said it was larger than a grapefruit. They gave him Ibuprofen (anti-inflamatory) They had told him orginally it was just hemoroids (which he never had) he suffered so much, he kept telling everyone that he knew he was dying, but everyone told him "You don't die from hemoroids!"--I guess you do!!!
He was so funny he could make you laugh until you cried, He had won quite a few "open house comedy contest," and I can't think of any comedian in movies that even comes close to him in that area. He had a great sense of humor, and he's probably up in Heaven laughin his head off.
He was a wonderful musician,in High School his nickname was "Rockin Robin" I figure they have a "Hellova" Lead guitarist in Heaven, and he is still "Makin Music" (Remember his first tatoo?
I named him Robin because Robin's fly and I knew that "Some day He would soar with the eagles and touch the angles" I just always though it would be with him music.
Please keep in touch--none of us have forgotten you. Take care.
Robin's Mom,

4:01 PM

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