Turn the Page

My friend Chuck turned 40 over the weekend. He is the first one in our posse to reach this milestone. (It is a milestone, right?) What a difference it is to 19 years ago when he was the first one to hit 21. That was looked upon by all of us with jealousy. He was the first one able to buy booze legally. He could get into bars and enjoy the fun that came with that rite of passage. Being the first one to hit the big 4-0, I have feelings but I would not call them jealousy. I have 4 months to go before I hit my fourth decade and I will try to enjoy them.

Talking about Chuck’s birthday I can’t help but to think back to his massive 21^st birthday party. It was in the city somewhere on the south side. I cannot remember the exact location but I think it was at his Dad’s house. That party is memorable for a number of reasons. First, was the food spread that Chuck’s Grandmother laid out. It was a feast. That would be a good thing because with all the liquor being consumed we all needed some heavy food in our stomachs to soak it all up.

The party was also memorable because of some of Chicago’s finest showing up at one point in the evening. (Though no was arrested and the party would continue on after they left.) Also, there was the wide range of people that showed up. We had all of the K mart crew there as well as an assortment of the Moraine posse. I remember having a blast at the party itself. We drank, bullshitted, listened to early 90’s music, and celebrated the fact that we now all had someone to make beer runs for us.

The night was also memorable for me in another way. It ended with me doing something that I to this day regret. I pride myself in being an open book on this old blog here. I have told a number of embarrassing stories and a shared a number of personal experiences with the opposite sex. This story though goes with me to my grave. Only two people know what happened and I thankfully haven’t seen or talked to the other person in well over a decade. Let’s just say I never made it home and wound up spending the night at that seedy ass motel on like 84^th and Harlem.

I’ve written about my own 21^st in the past. That was the night I “hooked up” with my boss in the Pharmacy in one of my not so fine moments. Wally and Chris celebrated their 21^st at the Edge on like 143^rd and Cicero in Oak Forest I believe. They had a deal where we got like free beer and pizza for like an hour for everyone in our party in honor of their birthdays. That night ended with us watching a Neil Diamond and Elton John impersonator. The sad thing is we were drunk enough to enjoy it.

My buddy Rob’s 21^st was spent at Durbin’s I believe. And if I am not mistaken Wally ordered him a beer and this was in the days before Robbie. (The drunken side of Rob’s personality.)Meaning Rob did not consume alcohol. It took the evils of Carbondale to open up Rob’s world to the sweet nectar of alcohol.

The reason I mention all of this is my 21^st birthday is the last one I really gave a shit about. All of the rest are nice and all but once you reach adulthood does it really matter? When you turn 21 you gain something, you can drink legally. Since then other then getting a year older, I have not gained anything with any birthday since the one I celebrated in 1990. That is not to say I fear getting older. When I turned 30 I shrugged it off. As I can see the finish line of my thirties I am dealing with it without much stress. As much as I pine nostalgic over my younger days I would not in any way wish to re-live them.

My teen years were awkward and filled with many ups and downs. (Many more downs then ups.) My twenties I came into my own and had a lot of fun and a lot of hazy memories. In my thirties I became an adult, met Joyce and began my life in a lot of ways. Sure with age has come responsibilities, creaky bones, and less time hanging with my friends. But, the trade off is contentment. I like where I am at and if that means I can no longer play softball 4 nights a week while getting bombed on a Wednesday evening at the Grove, well so be it.

So, I wish Chuck a big Happy Birthday. I don’t get to see Chuck as much as I used to and that sucks. He mentioned at Wally’s wedding that myself, him, Dell and Zar need to all go out and grab a beer. We have all been friends for 23 years. For that fact alone we should do some celebrating. Now, if we can find a Blue 1980 Chevy Impala with a SIU Salukis sticker in the back window to drive around in, then the night would be complete.