I should make t-shirts
He always had these great ideas for t-shirts. A moment in conversation would start something in his mind—you could see it. Someone would say something about … Extra Terrestrials! … and how if they are out there why don’t they contact us—and his eyes would flash and a little smile would spread across his lips and he would get this goofy look on his face hold his fingers like a phone and say something like: “Hey E.T., call me.” Then we would laugh and he would say: “I should put that on a t-shirt.” Anyway, he was always saying things like that. No matter where we were or what we were talking about, at some point you would hear him say: “I should put that on a t-shirt! I’d wear it all the time. I think it would make people laugh. Don’t you think it would make people laugh?” and we would all say yes—because it made us laugh. He was a great guy. So caught up in every moment that he wanted a t-shirt for them all. I think it was a great idea, and I wish he had actually made some, if he had I could wear one or two once in a while and laugh. Because that is exactly what he would’ve made them for. He loved to make people think about life and smile.
On the days we skipped class, we would walk around down town, and he would say “hello” and help all the old ladies, who had their little push cart full of groceries at 10:00 in the morning, and the other guys and I always hated it when he did that. It made us feel awkward. How the hell are you supposed to talk to old ladies anyway? I think it’s easier to avoid contact and pretend not to see the people I don’t know. But he wasn’t like that, and the old ladies, they really liked it, and they smiled. I bet they smiled all day long after he had said “hello” and asked them about their morning.
He sure was funny. He had this way of making me remember that I sometimes forgot how to live and just have fun. He was my best friend—he’d always say, “will you just stop! I get so bored when you try to be “cool”.” He made it seem so easy to be in a good mood; like it was so easy to not care what other people thought of him, but it was easy for him, everyone thought great things about him. But still, to this day I think there was something wrong with him. I mean, who do you know, who is that happy and nice to everybody all the time? When we would ask him what the hell his deal was; he would say, “I just like people more when they’re smiling, that’s all. It’s actually pretty selfish of me, if you took a minute to think about it.”
Anyway, that’s how he was. I’ve tried to avoid thinking about him, and I did for a long time. I probably haven’t laughed or been in a really good mood for just as long. But a while ago, the guys and I were at Perkins after a night of drinking and clubin’ and there were some younger kids from our school there. One of the girls said; “Hey, do you guys remember that really nice funny guy who died last year?”
The others said, “no.”
But she persisted, “Yes you do. Remember that kid who was killed by a drunk driver last year? He was funny; it’s too bad he had to die. He was a good guy.”
The guys and I became quiet, because we remembered. We all ordered our turkey clubs or mozzarella sticks or greasy chicken burgers, and called a cab home. The next day I put what that girl had said on a t-shirt. I think he would’ve wanted me too. And I brought it to the SADD/MADD organization, and we made a lot of them, and sold them, and used the money for the families like his. And I took one to his Mom. I hadn’t seen her since I saw her crying and clutching the casket before they lowered it forever into the ground. When she saw the t-shirt she cried again. But then she smiled. And I think he would’ve wanted it that way. He loved to make people think about life, and smile.
He always had these great ideas for t-shirts. A moment in conversation would start something in his mind—you could see it. Someone would say something about … Extra Terrestrials! … and how if they are out there why don’t they contact us—and his eyes would flash and a little smile would spread across his lips and he would get this goofy look on his face hold his fingers like a phone and say something like: “Hey E.T., call me.” Then we would laugh and he would say: “I should put that on a t-shirt.” Anyway, he was always saying things like that. No matter where we were or what we were talking about, at some point you would hear him say: “I should put that on a t-shirt! I’d wear it all the time. I think it would make people laugh. Don’t you think it would make people laugh?” and we would all say yes—because it made us laugh. He was a great guy. So caught up in every moment that he wanted a t-shirt for them all. I think it was a great idea, and I wish he had actually made some, if he had I could wear one or two once in a while and laugh. Because that is exactly what he would’ve made them for. He loved to make people think about life and smile.
On the days we skipped class, we would walk around down town, and he would say “hello” and help all the old ladies, who had their little push cart full of groceries at 10:00 in the morning, and the other guys and I always hated it when he did that. It made us feel awkward. How the hell are you supposed to talk to old ladies anyway? I think it’s easier to avoid contact and pretend not to see the people I don’t know. But he wasn’t like that, and the old ladies, they really liked it, and they smiled. I bet they smiled all day long after he had said “hello” and asked them about their morning.
He sure was funny. He had this way of making me remember that I sometimes forgot how to live and just have fun. He was my best friend—he’d always say, “will you just stop! I get so bored when you try to be “cool”.” He made it seem so easy to be in a good mood; like it was so easy to not care what other people thought of him, but it was easy for him, everyone thought great things about him. But still, to this day I think there was something wrong with him. I mean, who do you know, who is that happy and nice to everybody all the time? When we would ask him what the hell his deal was; he would say, “I just like people more when they’re smiling, that’s all. It’s actually pretty selfish of me, if you took a minute to think about it.”
Anyway, that’s how he was. I’ve tried to avoid thinking about him, and I did for a long time. I probably haven’t laughed or been in a really good mood for just as long. But a while ago, the guys and I were at Perkins after a night of drinking and clubin’ and there were some younger kids from our school there. One of the girls said; “Hey, do you guys remember that really nice funny guy who died last year?”
The others said, “no.”
But she persisted, “Yes you do. Remember that kid who was killed by a drunk driver last year? He was funny; it’s too bad he had to die. He was a good guy.”
The guys and I became quiet, because we remembered. We all ordered our turkey clubs or mozzarella sticks or greasy chicken burgers, and called a cab home. The next day I put what that girl had said on a t-shirt. I think he would’ve wanted me too. And I brought it to the SADD/MADD organization, and we made a lot of them, and sold them, and used the money for the families like his. And I took one to his Mom. I hadn’t seen her since I saw her crying and clutching the casket before they lowered it forever into the ground. When she saw the t-shirt she cried again. But then she smiled. And I think he would’ve wanted it that way. He loved to make people think about life, and smile.
REMEMBR THE KIDS WHO WERE KILLED BY DRUNK DRIVERS LAST YEAR?
IT'S TOO BAD THEY HAD TO DIE.
THEY WERE GOOD KIDS.
KEEP OUR GOOD KIDS ALIVE.
DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE.
KEEP OUR GOOD KIDS ALIVE.
DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE.
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