Craig Fox
20 September 2006
Period Whatever
My Best Friend, Mike
BFF!!! Best Friends Forever!!! NOT!!! While Michael Elowitz and I had been best friends since second grade, that didn’t exactly last. Yea, we went to the same high school, but by that time we’d drifted apart. Michael hung out with a computer crowd while I drifted off to the debate club when I wasn’t bitterly standing by my locker. Throughout our twenties and thirties, Michael and I talked only infrequently and when we saw each other it was only for a quick meal. However, the fact that we were best friends can’t be minimized. Even if only for a while in the scheme of things, the friendship we shared was a memorable one.
Much of our friendship was based on a mutual sense of humor. We enjoyed the same stupid movies like Airplane and Blazing Saddles. Daily, we could crack each other up reciting the same lines over and over. Moreover, we created great works of humorous art. For example, we formed a musical band called ‘The Egotrips’ and wrote songs like ‘I Love Myself’. Later, we moved on to musical theater and wrote a whole script called, Eeeech. It followed the misadventures of a monster who could only say the word, ‘Eeech.’ Since laughter can brighten up even the darkest of days, friendship relies on humor. The fact that we could make each other smile anytime, strengthened our bond immensely.
Michael and I also shared a love of ridiculous and creative sports. In fact, we invented many games together. For example, we developed a game called ‘Goal Line Stance’ – a version of tackle football we could play in a living room. We would face each other like opposing linemen, the offensive player with the ball, and try and smash through each other. Also, we played a modified version of full-contact soccer guarding goals which were doorways at either end of a hallway and modified rugby which focused more on hurting each other rather than scoring. Moreover, we developed customized card games, computer contests, and tag video games. Even when we didn’t have anything to do, Michael and I could always invent a way to occupy ourselves and drain our adolescent energy.
Moreover, Michael and I shared a love of classic films. While most of the people we knew ran in the other direction when a black and white film came on TV, we looked on in rapt attention. We both loved two old mysteries, And Then There Were None and Witness for the Prosecution. Though we knew who murdered who, we loved watching them over and over. Witness was a particular thrill with Marlene Dietrich vamping it all over the screen. Perhaps our favorite old film was The Lion in Winter with Katherine Hepburn and Peter O’Toole. We could recite all their catty lines and quips. Sharing a love for such an ‘un-cool’ genre bonded us together. It was like a secret shared language and appreciation of the world that few of our other friends understood.
Sure, best friends come and go in life, but that doesn’t lessen their impact. Michael’s friendship sure stuck with me. I’ve always found that in some ways, I’ve always been trying to recapture our good times. Currently, I have another good friend, Michael. I’ve only met him since I’ve been down here in San Diego, but we laugh at the same jokes (‘Yo Momma’ quips, Reno 911, Margaret Cho). We swap country music downloads and argue the merits of Academy Award Nominated movies. He shares tales about his boyfriend and I share amusing date anecdotes. The old Michael provided a great model for friendship that the new Michael is adapting to it just fine. It’s a model continue to carry with me always.