Friends for life…

You know everyonce in a while you meet someone and you just know you were destined to be friends forever.  I had that experience about six years ago, it all started when I took this job for some friends of ours at a small pub in Fl. It was a hole in the wall bar and everyone knew everyone and they looked out for one another. Well they did not take to me right away because they knew my husband and they knew what he did for a living (Law Enforcement) they all knew him because he was a regular and had been going there for years.For some reason some of the regulars thought I was working there to bust them for their indescresions. Everyone liked him and he had some great friends there that I got to know very well as time went on. 

 They started warming up to me after a few weeks and I became their favorite bartender, I spoiled my customers and I loved working there it was great. While I was working there I met alot of great people and some I could live without. I did have the honor of meeting Charlie.

Charlie is someone you would have to experience to fully appreciate him. What a great personality and a genuine person. When he came into the bar he would always put his hand over his heart and tell me I was going to give him a Heart attack because he thought I was a knockout. I would open the bar at 9:00am on Saturday and Charlie was always my first customer and for the longest time I could not understand how someone could drink so early in the morning, and he could not understand how I could go get drunk off my ass and wake up at 7:00am to get ready to be at work at 9:00am hung over and feeling like shit. I asked him one day how he could drink so early and he just laughed at me, I was serious and he finally realized that and answered me. He simply said that nine o clock was like his 1:00pm. You see he was in bed by 5:00pm and up at 2:30 or 3:00am. So by 9:00am he was ready to drink. We always had a great time, always laughed and he would always listen to me and my problems and I would listen to his. 

I would later find out his story in life, a military background retired from the Navy, went to work as some kind of  job were he was on a ship for several months at a time and retired from that. I think it was a Merchant Marine I am not sure. He was divorced from I think the only woman he ever really loved, they had two kids, and I know he has grandsons that he never sees. He always talked to them on the phone but never went up north to see them. I don’t know if him and his son got along on not. He would tell me stories about his grandsons conversations on the phone. I would in return tell him stories on what a jerk my husband was being. Anyone married to a LEO should know what I am talking about, unless you were lucky enough to get a good one who isn’t a control freak..

We eventually started playing darts. I learned that he was the Charlie with all the plaques on the wall from dart tournaments. I was on the dart league at the bar on Tues and Thurs nites, and I thought my shit did not stink. I am here to tell you that Charlie made it stink… He was such a great dart player and I did get lucky at times and beat him. We played every Saturday and sometimes we would have company, but everyone knew that we would be playing. I enjoyed the games and the company that Charlie had given me.

I would quit that job after three years and go on to my present job, but I would go in to see the gang every chance I got.  It  had been a while since I had been in and I ran into Ed another one of my faves, he told me that Charlie had ran into some problems with his lungs. He smoked pretty heavily and always told me that his lungs were bad. I found out that his lungs had colapsed on him and that he was in intensive care for a while and at the present he was in a home were there were nurses to look after him. I went to see him there and I was shocked at what I saw. Ed tried to warn me that he did not look like the old Charlie and I guess I thought I was prepared for it. I was not, I wanted to cry but I held it back and managed to stay about 10 minutes before he kicked me out. Charlie never liked to have anyone feel sorry for him or make a big deal over him. He thru me out, he told me that I had always been  gorgeous and told me to come see him when he got out and went home. He is home has been for a couple of days. I have not made it over yet, I have plans to go Monday. I wanted him to get settled with the nurses that have to come in and take care of him.

Charlie is 72 years old and I know that he will not be here to much longer, I just wanted to share my story with everyone, because it’s not to often that a friend like Charlie comes along. When you find a friend that you know will love you thru anything and always be there for you, someone you have such a good time with and who will listen and try to give you the best advice possible, you know you are truely blessed.