Page 42 - Kimberly Hunt and daughter

We as friends, laugh.

By Robert Tussey

Shared laughter creates a bond of friendships. When people ness of the experiences - and the calamities. Johnny called
laugh together, they cease to be young and old, teacher and Irwin (in his room) one night to tell him he had a visitor at his
pupils, worker and boss. They become a single group of hu- bathroom window. When Irwin rounded the corner into the
man beings. bathroom he discovered a moose had managed to get his
W. Lee Grant head and front feet into the window. The reaction of each at
the sight of the other would have been priceless on camera.
Friendship is that blanket (we use) against the cruelties of They both left the room loudly and created a vision that will
day to day life. We cloak ourselves in that buffer in times live for a very long time.
both good and bad. It has been said that to have one true Another night saw all of us gathered around the table, cards
friend in a lifetime you have been truly gifted. I can’t tell you in hand, and Lori noticed a small spider on the table in front
how lucky of her.
I am. Arachno-
We play phobia
cards flared and
and have she grabbed
dinners, the hand of
laugh, her part-
and chat ner and
and tell smashed
tales of the poor
lifetimes thing flat.
rich in Silence
experi- grew to
42 ence and laughter as
hubris. Rollie lifted
Fourteen his hand so
of us, we could all
gathered see the con-
at each sequence
others’ of her ac-
houses tion. We
sharing laughed
Front Row L to R. Jo Fickus, Drena Jones, Cliff Hickman, Judi Hickman, Lori Tussey, Robert Tussey
our souls Back Row L to R. Irwin Fickus, Eugene Jones, Rick Barajas, Johnny Boone, Janice Boone, Jim Skelton, Joan Skelton till we
and tempt- cried at
ing fate as the look
we rail at the once and future frailties that now beset us. on his face; palm up, still unsure what had just happened.
Lori and I first joined the group in 2002 by meeting at Fe- When we joined the group most had moved from their motor-
lipe’s in Jamul for dinner before playing cards. As we walked cycles to RV’s. Our card group was the constant as people
across the restaurant towards the table Erwin strode forward, came and went. Fireside chats and picnic table games drew
hand out, welcoming and telling us ‘we’re just talking about us closer. What we discovered as time wore on was the
sex.’ Of course the conversation wasn’t about sex, but I diverse backgrounds of each person in the group. From tele-
knew we were in for quite an evening. This was his tag used vision producer to mechanic, phone company employee to
as an ice breaker, and weeded out the faint of heart. By the office manager, engineer to property manager, we all shared
end of the night the warmth and camaraderie enveloped us our love of life and each other. Our varied lives brought us
and our membership assured. closer instead creating that chasm which drives people into
Irwin was the organizer. “Where are we playing next week?” separate camps: All too common today.
“Where are we going to dinner?” Decisions had to be made We’ve celebrated 50th wedding anniversaries, birthdays and
and timetables set. We played cards every Wednesday seen each other through surgeries and illness. Life’s pas-
and Saturday and set our calendars. The card games were sages and the cruelty of aging bond us in support and caring.
secondary to the conversations and storytelling. Most of the Tears and laughter shared over the years have revealed the
group had met while riding motorcycles together, taking road soul and humanity of us all while fending off the indifference
trips over much of the country. Some long, some simply of the outside world. I wonder what price friendship has suf-
weekend treks, all were the thing of bonded friendship. fered in our world where people are wont to wave at a neigh-
So many of our tableside talks are of those trips and the rich- bor as they close their garage door. We hug. A lot!
Issue 1, 2009