"You live near one of your oldest friends and didn't even know? How could you not?" Sam asked, his voice steady but still quiet.
I slowly get onto the a the main road, getting ready to cross onto the feeder to New Circle.
"Long story. It actually starts in grade school. My best friend was Larry Meadows; he lived just down the road. Only boy my age nearby. We were close, even though he was an athlete and I was kind of a nerd. I was always taller than him, though. Usually an inch or so, but about three in fifth grade. Strangely enough, I was always one of the tallest boys in class. Until eighth grade. That's when the other boys starting to catch up and surpass me. I was stuck at 5' 1" the entire year, but I was still taller than Larry.
"At Christmas break, I was still an inch taller than him. When we came back, he was a half inch taller than me. And he didn't stop growing. He became the star player on the basketball team, almost overnight. By spring break, he was 5' 10", tallest in class. Taller than most of the teachers, even. By the end of the year, he was 6' 1", a foot taller than me! Near that last day of school, I overheard him talking to another guy about how Larry was going to a different high school so he would be on a better team. Larry never even hinted that we wasn't going to high school with me, or moving. He was afraid to hurt my feelings, but this was worse. Larry and his folks moved a week after school let out. A new family moved in a few weeks later. They had a son near my age, but I didn't meet him. I moped inside the entire summer. I only saw Larry once more, when his school played mine. He was listed as 6' 5", but I doubt he was much over 6' 4". Their team won, by twenty or so. Don't really remember how Larry did. No idea if he played in college. Pretty sure he's not playing pro."
I get onto New Circle, after the longest light. I'm rarely out this early, so I don't know how the pattern sets up.
"Anyway, I go to school for freshman orientation. The senior showing me around, Jim Greenwood, he tells me things I would never have figured out on my own about high school. He had gone to another feeder school, so I Neve had seen him before. He noticed that I wasn't hanging out anyone in particular, so at the end of the day, he took me to meet his brother. Will was starting school too, but he looked nothing like his brother. Black hair to Jim's brown. Skinny to Jim's heavier frame. Jim was a little taller, but Will carried it better. Will was with his best friend, Rick Morris. The two were almost twin, they looked so alike, but only from a distance. Rick was slightly taller and heavier, with lighter black/brown hair. They were with Pete Dentry, the kid who had moved into Larry's old place. He had dark blond hair, muscles. About 6' 1", tallest one there. Apparently, Jim paired Pete up with his brother earlier. I was scared, and I didn't think..."
Sam was trying to stifle a laugh, but failing miserably. I hadn't seem him like this before.
"What's so funny?"
"Your friends' names. Jimmy, Willie, Dick, and Peter," Sam said in a fit mixed in with giggles. "Don't tell me you never noticed?"
"They preferred Jim, Will, Rick, and Pete. Anyway, I had every class with the three of them, and saw Jim almost daily. Those three guys were my best friends by the end of the first week of school, and we were all but inseparable those four years. We always had at least one class together, and had one of us in every other, even though we had different interests. We even got into UK together. Will and I were going to share a dorm, with Pete and Rick next door. It would have been perfect."
I turn onto Interstate 64. Traffic was still fairly light. I wait a second before I continue my story. The next part is always hard for me.
"Near the end of that first semester, Pete's dad had a mild heart attack. Nothing major, but Pete felt he needed to be closer to home. He transferred to a community college over the break. At the start of our sophomore year, Rick began to put us off to be with his girlfriend from Transylvania."
"Transylvania? What was she, a vampire?" Sam had to gasp. Most outsiders kind of do.
"Transylvania University. Private school in Lexington. First one founded west of the Appalachians. Fairly prestigious. Anyway, he declared he was going into pre-law. He began to hang out almost exclusively with his law buddies after that. He even changed dorm rooms.
"At the start of junior year, Will says he was applying to a med school in Virginia, the same one his brother went to. Don't get me wrong. Jim was the big brother I always wanted, but Will was the smart one. He could have gotten in anywhere, but his first choice was a small school almost in the middle of nowhere. He was even thinking of transferring early. He didn't, but it still stung. I moved off campus for the second semester. Didn't really get to see Rick or Will during our last year there.
"In fact, until last summer, I hadn't heard anything from any of them. I kind of cared, but I didn't know for sure. Rick had actually moved in a few weeks before I finally saw him. I don't really pay attention to the neighbors. From him, I found out what happened to them, even connected a little.
The three have them had managed to keep in touch for the last six years, but they didn't know where to find me.
"Pete became a chem teacher at the new consolidated school that replaced our old high school. He's also the vice-principal. He's finishing up his PhD. He got married and divorced the year after he graduated. However, he went to Vegas this March and married an English teacher at the school. I never thought he would go into teaching, or impulsively marrying someone.
"Will is now a psychiatrist at the university hospital where he graduated. He's working with his brother who is an ear, nose, and throat guy. Will is married with a little boy, while Jim has twin toddler boys and a little girl. I didn't think he would like Virginia so much to stay there.
"Rick is now a junior associate at his father-in-law's firm. He married his college sweetheart, who also works there, when she's not on maternity leave. They have a little girl, and a boy on the way. Rick was always into journalism, I never got how he went into law. I mean, he father is a sheriff's deputy, but he never seemed interested insect things.
"Then there's me. Had to take an extra semester just to graduate. Messed up applying to grad school so bad, that I never got in. My last girlfriend broke up with me last December, and I haven't dated since. Oh, and I almost got fired from my job yesterday, the one I can barely stand. I wanted to write, and here I am doing nothing with my life. Not knowing what to do with it and ..."
"I don't mean to interrupt your interesting story and all," Sam silently interrupted, "but when are we getting to the airport? We just passed a sign saying we are headed towards Ashland and Huntington, WV. I might not be familiar with here, but I don't think we are going the right way."
"Ah, I guess I forgot to tell you. We aren't flying to New York. We're driving."
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