I met this fella in the summer. Took me to a sidewalk that ended before the street. The sidewalk was raised probably 3’ or 4’ above the curb. Him and his friends were ollying the gap from the sidewalk into the street.

He walked up to me after his first successful gap, asked me if I wanted to see a trick. I didn’t know how to react besides telling him that I saw the gap, it was tight, do it again. I wasn’t much of a skater anymore so maybe he didn’t buy my enthusiasm.

He told me he wasn’t talking about the gap as looked me in my eyes smiling. He shook his foot out to his side & slapped his nuts up against the inside of his thigh. Rang out louder than a grown man clapping in an empty auditorium.

Turns out, him and all of his boys all had bro tattoos at the age of 16. His was just above his tan line left from his year round short shorts. Little outlined Black Flag bars. I was more into Choking Victim, Rancid, His Hero Is gone… Didn’t really know much about who Henry Rollins or Ian MacKaye was.

Over the years ahead, I did a ton of hallucinogens with those dudes & especially this particular fella. No matter what type of evil & carnage driven thought process or bullshit psychotic social construct I was going through, I always had those kids and that dude standing by my side – smiling huge as fuck like he did after he made his nuts clap against his leg.

My dad died shortly after meeting him. He showed up to my dad’s funeral with all of those dudes from the gap in fresh cuts, clean swag & kicked it with me while I got drunk to keep my mind away from the grief.

After my pops died, I began to spiral psychologically. I wasn’t giving a fuck about anything. It may have had a lot to do with the amount of psychedelic mushrooms I ate that year, but it felt like I was drifting through life aimlessly. Nothing mattered, nothing I ever did would be of any significance, no matter how much destruction I brought into the world (past, present or future) there was an everlasting amount of peace & love that would conquer everything & it had nothing to do with me. The same type of peace & love that I found in befriending this fella.

I began busking daily & most days that we spent together, I would finance my portion of our harsh jokes & fun times by the little bit of tips I could score up.