My friend

I was raised in an ultra-conservative household in an overly conservative religion, I currently have no religion and am happier than I have ever been. There are only three people I miss from my days in religious internment, 1.) a friend named Andrew John,who know is so self-rightous he would not come to my wedding, so to hell with him. 2.) a friend named Anjeanette Boyd, who was my best friend for a while, I also had a huge crush on her, however I remember as a girl and I am married to a WOMAN, I love my wife to an untold degree, and we lost contact years ago I don't really know where she is. 3.) an incredible person, a damn fine human being, I cannot say enough good things about him, in his 50's he still rippled muscle under his considerable layer of fat. He exuded power, his son set a bench press record at his school. He was an incredible street fighter even when I knew him, he had fists the size of honeybaked hams. And yet he was so gentle I used to watch him pick up his cat with warped, broken, and poorly rehealed knuckles, so gentley the cat could have shivered and gotten out of his grip. He was kind to all who were kind to him, he treated his wife like the most precious commodity on the earth, he was open, kind-hearted, willing to do anything fore anyone, he definately had a diachotomy of personalities, and they all fit together to make an amazing human. I found out tonight he died, although he and I had not spoken in years due to the fact that I completely cut myself off from the religion of my childhood his death hit me like a ton of bricks. As completely insane as it sounds I can take comfort in one fact he died instantly from an anuerism, he died like he lived, full tilt. No inbetween only on and off. One side note he was black and the only reason I mention it is because he was so inffluential on my development, I learned you could be a fighter and a lover, you could defend your personal honor, and help the less fortunate, You could stand up as a Bigger than life figure ( when he was in his early twenties, he would often tell police he would beat them boxing in their own precenct, and do it), and touch your wife with such tenderness and compassion that onlookers would blush. And racists used to treat him different because he was black, that was where I first developed my hatred for racism. So to Bob, my friend, my mentor, my sounding board when no one else would be, I am eternally gratefull for the distinct privelage of knowing you, I will mourn you as the universe will. I will drink a vodka and cranberry juice, I will treat my wife with tenderness, and I will punch any motherfucker who needs it in the mouth, and I will always remember what I learned from you. Old Man rest in peace.