A friend

Remember B, the guy I met in Brookside months ago who said he wanted to do better and go to college? According to my first post, I met him on July 19, 2006 and had a promising conversation four days later. Unfortunately, I lost touch with him soon thereafter because he didn't have a phone or a permanent place of residence.

A few weeks ago, a buddy of B's came to church to see his mom, who goes there. I knew him, and he mentioned that B had been asking where I was. He called him, and I chatted for a few minutes and gave him my phone number. While I was at the Impact conference in Atlanta, he called unexpectedly, and we had a good chat for about 15 minutes. We both wanted to get together again, and we finally did so yesterday.

He had moved a few miles away, so I drove to his house. It was filled with about a dozen people who seemed to be friends or extended family. As soon as I entered, they exclaimed in disbelief, "This is L?! You are not what we expected!" It probably had something to do with the fact that I was white, relatively well-dressed, and a good bit taller than everyone else. B had a friend from the hood who recognized me. We spent about 30 seconds in the house and then B and I went out for a drive.

Unfortunately, B is going to be a daddy in about 7 months. He is trying to get a job, and we stopped at several nearby warehouses trying to secure an interview, but nothing seemed to be open on Saturday afternoon. We were told to visit the Indiana unemployment office, which opens at 8 on Monday. B told me that he couldn't work in a fast-food restaurant because it was beneath him. I held my tongue, except to offer that I personally wouldn't mind working anywhere if it paid the bills.

We went to the mall, and B collected a few applications. No one seemed particularly eager to hire. While we were sitting around filling out the forms and making small talk, B said, "I can read you. Don't say anything."

"You were probably from a family that had a mom and a dad who were married. They had, oh, no more than 4 kids. And they owned their own house. You went to public school, but they would have sent you to private school if they could've afforded it. You're probably second-born. How'd I do?"

Remarkably well, actually. (If you, dear reader, know me, you know how well.) About this time, W called me to talk about some other matters, and since both B and W had heard about the other, I let them chat for a few minutes. I don't know what they said.

I think B is still trying to figure me out. He asked a little about my job, and I explained it by saying that I sit in front of a computer all day. I was quick to reassure him that I do not plan on continuing this the rest of my life. He knows I make a fair amount of money, and he encouraged me to have "more fun." "You're a single engineer," he said, "with a good job, no responsibilities, and lots of freedom."

"I like my life," I replied. "I have good friends, a good job, and lots of great opportunities to do stuff. Besides, my friends who 'have fun' usually just get drunk and waste their lives." I then described some frat parties I'd attended.

"You're funny," B said. "I didn't mean like that. Just, you know, get a nice car, go on trips, live it up." Evidently my old Civic doesn't qualify as a "nice car" even though I'm very fortunate to have it, and my significant travel schedule doesn't qualify either. I think B recognizes, though, that having fun isn't at the top of my priority list. Too bad he doesn't realize there's a more satisfying way to live.

Later that afternoon, we stopped at Taco Bell to grab some dinner, and B said he'd like to work there. I don't know what happened to his earlier resolution against working at fast-food restaurants—maybe that was merely a statement of preference. We secured an interview tomorrow at 4:00. Hope it goes well.

I think B and I have a decent, though immature, friendship... can't wait to see how it develops.