Along the Hills of San Francisco

This is another Stephen story. I hope you don't mind. It also happens to be a story in which I do not appear.

Stephen was my best friend in the world. However, I cannot say he felt the same toward me. That's not a problem! Stephen cared for me nearly as much as anyone. But he had a couple of friends who I think he felt closer to - at least sometimes. Since it did not diminish our friendship I felt no (little) jealousy about it.

One of Stephen's close friends was Randy. He actually had two (2) friends named Randy (I almost said two Randy friends, but neither were). The Randy who Stephen was closest to also happened to be a friend of mine. The other was not. Well, one summer Stephen and (the good) Randy decided to take a trip to San Francisco. Randy had a brother who lived there and they could stay at his house for free. Their only expense was the drive and their meals. I was not invited to go. [pout]

They were gone for nearly a month, and when they returned I didn't even know it for two days. Then Stephen called me and asked if I wanted to come to his house. I said I did and, without consulting Stephen, went to Randy's house and brought him. Randy was solemn and resisitant to my invitation, but he came. Randy hated confrontation worse than me. It wasn't until I arrived at Stephen's house with Randy that I realized the two friends were not currently on good terms.

Since the pair were so snippy it was pointless to do anything really fun, so I suggested we go to J's Pizza - one of several pizza hot spots we liked to frequent. I spent the next three hours listening to stories from each of them how the other 'drove me absolutely out of my mind'. I sat and laughed at both of them, which actually helped them resolve their differences. By the time the night ended, they were laughing, too. Sometimes all it takes is a third party.

The two incidences which I remember most clearly are these:

Not having a whole lot to do except wander the city the guys took to frequenting a beach tossing a frisbee back and forth. Their thinking was that it was an excellent place to attract/find girls. Good thinking. Except by the time they came up with this plan they were already getting on each other's nerves.

Randy told how two very attractive, bikini clad, blonde wonders invited themselves to toss the frisbee with them. Wonderful. Their plan was about to bear fruit. Except they had been tossing the frisbee for three days before the girls arrived. They had strengthened their arms and their tempers. Randy told how they were firing that frisbee as if hoping it would slice through the other. Not only that, but as their anger intensified, not only were they arguing, but they were throwing the frisbee harder and harder at the girls. When the girls excused themselves Randy and Stephen blamed each other for their departure.

Stephen's story was even better. It so revealed Randy's anal nature.

It happened late in their trip. By then they hardly spoke to each other. Randy drove them around the city several times looking for some park. Finally, he found it and parked at the bottom of a hill. (Not hard to do in San Francisco, I'm told.) It was hot and Stephen was annoyed because, once again, Randy had been lost for an hour or two and refused to stop and ask for directions. Well, they trudge up this hill, which Stephen described as Mt. Everest. Then, when they got to the top, Randy stopped and made an exclaimation.

Damn it! We have to go back down. I need to check the map.

Stephen didn't say anything. He just followed Randy down the hill and back to the car. At the car, Randy pulls the map out of his pocket and spreads it over the car's hood. He pours over it for about a minute before declaring:

Okay. Let's go.

Then Randy started walking back up the hill.

Stephen then issued on epitath he normally reserved for me:

You idiot! (That's the one. He was not afraid to say that to me at all. It always made me laugh when he got this angry. It never lasted. Stephen was incapable of holding a grudge.) Do you realize what you've just done?

It probably isn't funny to anyone who doesn't know Stephen or Randy, but it's a happy memory of mine, despite my not having been there.

Stephen and Randy remained friends a long time.