Lost

Ricky Ricardo, not the Cuban band leader, was my first best friend. If you were to ask me how we became fast friends I couldn't tell you but we were when I was 11 years old. Ricky was from the Philippines and caught a lot of shit from people because he looked different from some people. To me he was Ricky nothing more or nothing less. We were always together so when people would pick on him they would pick on me. We always had each others back. The streets of New York City could be dangerous but when you had a friend like Ricky you didn’t worry. Ricky and his family moved away after his father died and I lost a true friend to the ever expanding world. I ran into him about 9 years later in Southeast Asia. It appears we were still watching each others back without even knowing it.
I seem to attract some interesting people as friends. Misfits, freaks, lost souls and at times crazy folks would somehow latch onto to me and become friends. Sometimes I didn’t mind but sometimes I just wasn’t their friend and no matter what they were steadfastly mine. I could never be mean to someone on purpose so little by little they kind of grew on me and then somehow became friends. I wouldn't stand people making fun of folks who couldn't defend themselves. Mean people really do suck. We all know someone like that. The person who feels better when they can make someone else feel really bad. I fought many a fight in an attempt to end the injustice but in the end I lost many, the only thing I was able to accomplish is to show those people who had befriended me what it was like to have a real friend.
Maybe that was enough, maybe not. I guess only they can answer that question. I was never one of the misfits but if I were I hope I could have found a friend who was true.