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TRUE FRIENDS (Friendship)
I was lying in bed one night about 11:30 p.m. when the telephone rang, which was answered by my wife. It appears that one of our friend’s automobiles had broken down and they needed me to help them. So I pulled myself out of bed and started putting on my clothes, but was snarling, grumbling and cursing the entire time about being disturbed after having already gone to bed. Nevertheless, I continued to dress and went to their rescue.
The next day, I complained all day long about them having called me at that time of the night. So much complaining in fact, that my wife finally told me to "shut my big mouth" about the entire matter.
Several weeks later, I received another telephone call about 3 a.m. from another friend named Danny Jones. It appears that Danny had taken something that he should not have taken, which made him decide to get up out of bed and ride his bicycle to another town where he crashed into a large bush and there he lay, not knowing what the hell was going on. I immediately jumped out of bed and dressed as fast as possible. I told my wife that I was going to help my friend Danny.
When I arrived where Danny was located, he looked like crap. I had not seen Dan in several months, I guess because our friendship and lifestyles, which were at one time very close, had taken different directions because of drugs, alcohol and the like. Dan looked like he had not eaten in several days and looked really thin. I immediately told him that he looked like shit, but he just looked at me, smiled and said, “Thanks, Rog, for coming to help me. I know I look like shit but I'm still pretty, right?”
I just shook my head and laughed. Then we drove to an all-night burger stand where I bought him several hamburgers and some fries. As I drove him home, he told me that he had not been home to his wife and children for more than two weeks. He said that his life had really taken a turn for the worse and that he did not know what he was going to do. That really bothered me to hear him talk like that. Danny had always been a very smart person and intelligent individual. I could hardly believe that this was happening to him. But there was nothing more I could do except drop him near his house and then return home.
All the next day, I was really quiet and could not seem to get over what I had seen the night before - how my best friend looked when I found him sitting on the ground all dirty, thin, hungry and confused. Later that evening, my wife asked me why I did not bitch, curse or complain about having to go and help my friend Danny at 3:30 a.m., especially after raising hell for days about another friend calling me at 11:00 in the evening for help. I just shook my head and did not say anything to her - I guess because I did not know what to say. But I did think about that question for many, many hours and finally came up with the answer.
I did not complain when Danny telephoned me, because I knew that Danny Jones was a true friend. Just what makes someone ‘A TRUE FRIEND?’ A true friend is someone who is truly considerate of you. What I mean by that is that I knew instantly and without a doubt that Danny Jones had only called me because he had exhausted every possible remedy to solve his problem, before he bothered me. He did not just pick up the telephone and call me at three a.m. because he knew that I would come and help him. He did so, because he knew that I was his friend, would not let him down and would automatically know, without a doubt, that he had no other choice but to call his friend.
A friend named Roger Kiser, who would come and help him no matter what and I am so proud of myself for having a friend like Danny Jones, who helped me become the type of person I am.
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