A Friend

Most people believe that they have friends. Most of the people believe that they are a friend to several  acquaintances. I have several friends or used to have several friends. As I age the number diminished to a very few. Today I lost a dear friend who has been close for around seventy years. Alex { Chuck Brown } passed away after being sick for a time.

We were boys when the most important thing was preparing for our fishing  trip on the weekend. We used bicycle power to take ourselves out of town to country streams to catch speckled trout. We knew every stream that was home to these tasty little fish within 15 miles of our home. Preparation was really quite simple. Peanut butter sandwiches, a fruit and a bottle of Pepsi made up our lunch and a can of worms for bait and we were off for Mill Pond or McKenzie's  early Saturday mornings during the spring and summer.

We just hung out together at first but later we attended Teachers College and roomed together. We bonded in so many ways. Sports and activities became our spare time routine and then the girlfriends. Our fore some became blended into a friendship that was absolutely wonderful. We got along and rarely argued. We did have one obsession and that was our marathon crib games. Every noon after lunch we would play a few games of crib. We used to record the winner and believe it or not we got into numbers way over a thousand . We used to have a bet on who would be the winner after the first day after graduation. It never happened.
 During the summer months after graduation Chuck and I became dancing fools. In Cape Breton there were dances somewhere every night of the week. Somewhere. With Dad's half ton we traveled the country roads to find a square dance or go to the Venetian Gardens in Sydney on Saturday Night. The cost was a dollar and was steep but we loved to dance and it was the best. Gib Whitney and his orchestra were the best and we got to know a few girls from there and it was fun.

Our friendship was such that we talked about everything. We had similar fathers who loved to fish and we discussed their work as miners. Alex got to go down in #3 pit for some weeks in the summer  but I only had the opportunity for one week. We really appreciated our dad's after that. Summer went bye quickly and soon we were to be separated as I traveled to Quebec for employment.

During the next fifty years we made our own lives getting opportunities to meet during the summer and feeling as we had never been apart. After we retired I used to stop at Alex and Marge's summer home every time Theresa and I passed their place.Life was sweet and we became childhood friends again reliving the past and loving our time together.

Chuck became sick about a year ago and it really caused me great stress because I knew he was not long for this world. I became a closer friend to Marge as I wanted to cling to the part of our friendship that would continue. As I got the daily reports from Marge I realized just what I was losing. A lifelong Friend that could not be replaced. I have lost many of my close friends as of late and I do not like it. Chuck was special because he was from the old school and he crept into my brain and wouldn't let go. Chuck

was far from perfect but for me he was just right....he was my friend.