Friendship

We occasionally need to be reminded that friendship is a matter of both love and respect.

One Saturday afternoon Todd was talking about his plans. “Yeah, Rosa and I are getting ready to buy a new house.” He paused then went on, “Max, with her car and my truck, we don't really have room for my old van or my trailer.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Well, I was wondering if I could park them in your driveway for a few months.”

My driveway was big enough for six or seven cars and, because I can't drive, I certainly didn't need the room. “Sure,” I said, “bring them over.”

A few days later he drove up with his van towing a trailer, on which was a dirt bike. He parked the trailer, we disconnected it, and he parked the van next to it. “If you get anyone that wants to buy these things, let me know,” he said.

Todd was in the construction business and the van was filled with excess equipment. Every couple weeks he would stop by and we would wade into the van and pull out something he needed. I spent several days sorting through the van and trying to organize the stuff/junk that was in there. There were two air compressors; one electric model and one gasoline powered. I took out both of them and fixed various things. Todd noted what I was doing and, when I told him what was needed to get them running, he went out and bought everything necessary.

That was about six years ago. The motorcycle is in my garage where I (pretend to) work on restoring it when I have the time and the van and trailer are still in my driveway.

A few years ago I offered to make some business forms and keep track of some of his work on the computer for him. It represented many hours of work and, if I had been doing it for one of my clients, I would have charged several hundred dollars. I never even considered charging him.

When I needed a jig saw for a project Todd told me there were a couple in the van. When I pulled one out and used it, he just said, “Keep it. I have several of them.”

I Need What?

He sometimes looks around and decides I need something -- whether I've mentioned that I want it or not. Sometimes that works out as I have four electric drills and have never seen a need for a cordless model. One afternoon Todd brought over a really good cordless drill with two batteries and charger. It's something I would have never bought, but I now use it all the time.

Last December he came over, told me he was going to get a new flat-screen TV for his living room, and asked if I wanted his old big-screen projection set. I have three TVs in the house, have never wanted a big-screen, and saw no need for one now. “Nah, I'm satisfied with what I have.” Yep, a few days later I see him backing into the driveway with his old TV in the back of his truck. It is a 48' model and heavy as heck. It's the middle of the day and it takes me ten minutes to wander around the neighborhood trying to find some more muscle to help unload the thing. Then, satisfied, he leaves and I spend the next three hours rearranging my living room and cleaning.

Okay, it's nice. He's had it for five or six years and never really used it. It's basically new and, I'm sure, cost five or six thousand when he first bought it. After I had moved my entertainment center out of the way, I left the old TV sitting on the floor and went to the kitchen to get a beer. Hmm, looking back at the empty space I noticed how really tiny that old TV was. After hooking everything up I could actually watch the TV from the kitchen while I was cooking. Again, not something I'd ever buy, but pretty neat, really.

Now I Need a Stove

Just a few weeks ago Todd was visiting and acting strangely. He was walking around my kitchen holding his hands over the stove and moving them back and forth as if measuring something. “What are you doing?” I asked him.

“You need a new stove,” he announced. He has taken the time in the past to point out that I'm a lousy housekeeper. Yep, I admit that. My son and I are bachelors and don't do a lot of cleaning. Our old stove has been there something like twenty years and still (almost) works. Almost because, over the years, the buildup of uncleaned grease has clogged some of the jets and I have to take a toothpick to them frequently just to get one of the burners to light.