It's amazing how seeing a single name can make your breath catch, your heart skip a beat, and a grin spread across your face so widely that you think perhaps your head is going to split in half...

Or something.

I had that experience last night. Actually twice this week.

Tuesday, when I got home from the beach, I logged on and checked my Email. Lo and behold, there is a letter from one of my absolute best friends, most loved and cherished... appreciated and honored. He has meant so very much to me in the nearly three years that I've known him.

Of course, I haven't heard from him in nearly six months. Perhaps a little less than that... but close. I opened my Hotmail account... or rather, one of them *smirks* (I have seven different hotmail accounts... and four Yahoo accounts, five Diaryland accounts... two geocities accounts... One can never have too much Email) and saw his name...

Immediately my breath caught, my heart stopped for a moment, and my face split into this huge grin. I actually laughed outright. I immediately wrote back, with all the self-control of Niagra Falls. *Laughs*

And ya know what? Last night, as I was logging on... I see his name again... on pager. This man hasn't used pager in like... well... forever. And I'm still grinning.

I got to talk with him via Yahell Messenger for about an hour or so. Perhaps a little longer. Damn, it was such a .... a wonderful experience. To feel so close to this friend of mine...

And ya know what? You want to know who he is? You really do? Well tough... you have to wait til the end. AND NO SCROLLING DOWN TO FIND OUT!!!

*smirks* I might even make ya wait for another post alltogether. *smirks*

Anyway... I remember so many wonderful things about this man. He's a tough sonuvabitch at times. He won't take any shit from anybody. But he'll listen to what you have to say, and he'll give you his opinion. Course, it might be a total of four words... *laughs*

He's a sexy man too. All you have to do is think about it. *laughs* IN fact, as I was talking with him last night, I asked him... "So big boy, whatcha wearin?" *laughs*

He comes back with the description... *laughs hard*

jet black boots with silver tips, tight black jeans, black leather vest, open, and black hat... with a multicolored Sarape over the (left, I think) shoulder...

*laughs hard* His comment... "Always wear that when online"

*laughs again* Oh, man... How I've missed him. I've written about him many, many times. And, hell, He's Tiger's first and greatest love. *chuckles* There has just been so much wonderful stuff between us.

I remember how defensive of me he was when I told him about D. about our impending divorce and D's three girlfriends. *chuckles* That's really the simplest way to state it, tho there's a huge, long, big, gigantic story behind that...

Regardless... this guy was so very supportive of me. And defended me to myself. Which sounds wierd, but actually happened, and was necessary. I have a tendancy to NOT protect myself. To continually defend other people and put myself down. *shrugs* This guy wouldn't let me do that with him. *chuckles*

He's always been a true and complete friend to me. Always. It really wore heavily on him when I was in the Wreck. Damn, that was a really fucked up time all in all.

*shrugs* Anyway, that's unimportant.

This guy has always been a stability point for me. Always. Even when we don't talk or don't write for long periods of time. I have a friendship with this man the likes of which are rare. Extremely rare. This is one of those fabled... even if we don't talk to each other for another 25 years... the moment we begin communicating again, it will be like no time at all has passed.

I'm dead serious with this one. Hell, I got his Email Tuesday, got to talk to him real time via Yahell Messenger (Uncle Bob, You really do need to get Messenger or AOHell IM... one or the other... Cmon, cmon, cmon...) last night. And tonight I got to talk with him via AOHell IM. *smiles softly* In these three days, it seems like there has never been a moment that we were apart.

I love him. I really do. I would do anything I possibly could for him. If he needed it, I'd find a way to be there for him. *grins* And I know the same goes for me. He'd do the same for me. He'd find a way to give me whatever I needed. Whatever I wanted.

*smiles tenderly*

This is a wonderful and true friendship. The likes of which are rarely seen.

And ya know what? The best part is, he and his wife are preggers again. *grins brightly* I can't tell you how very thrilled I am to hear that. It's so incredible. In my opinion he's an awesome father. Absolutely awesome. And he's gonna have another kid.

I'm so very happy for him. Thrilled to bits and proud of him. He's still a very young man, in my opinion. He might think he's too old to have another kid (he has NOT said that) But I think he should have about ten more. *grins* He and his wife really make wonderful parents. And they love their children so very much.

*smiles brightly* I really admire them both. However, I don't know his wife as well as I know him.

My Mom knows him too. *grins* Of course, Mom used to come into the RP room that Tig had. *grins, laughing softly* Hell, she actually, in character, knitted a pair of socks with holes in the heels so that he could wear them over his spurs. *laughs brightly*

Oh, god, I miss that side of RP so very much. That's the kind of relationship we used to have in the Lair. It was wonderful.

Anyway...

James, You're still the best damned Gunslinger Yahell RP has EVER seen. The character may be a ghost now, but he will never truly die.

The masks we wear are our reality.

*laughs softly, grinning brightly* We'll always have the Ocean........

J...