Born April 16th, 1945
Moved On, January 27th, 2009
Saying good-bye after a life time of memories is difficult for everyone involved but love is like that. We lost one of the good guy’s recently and in his passing I witnessed another kind of grief that isn’t often mentioned; maybe because it’s not often seen.
There are certain things that will forever remind me of Billy. His laugh was unique and he was quick with a joke. The Gold Cadillac Cocktail Lounge, his Suzuki motorcycle, Budweiser Beer and Golf just to name a few. Yet the one thing that reminds me the most of Billy and always brings him to mind is his buddy Snag. Those two were a like salt and pepper, beer and a shot, Jack Daniels and a hangover. They just went well together. There was something about the bond between them, they were blessed enough to have enjoyed for thirty plus years.
They knew without asking that they had one another to count on and that is rare in this world. I’d heard them joke that if one of them were to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere, at three am, out of gas and flat broke and called the other, knowing without question or hesitation the other would show up.
When I got the call it was as I would expect, from the man that had been his sidekick, drinking buddy, golf partner and over all escape from his family a couple of Saturdays a month not to mention his very best friend. He told me in that way of his “well the prick finally did it, he up and died on me! Can you believe that?” I could hear the pain in his voice and that heavy sense of loss as he toughed threw the call; recounting each small detail of their final time together.
Of course I knew Billy had been sick, cancer is a tough mother but so was he and he fought hard, because he was like that. Snag and his family watched powerless as he wasted away but threw it all his best friend was a constant. As Billy laid there the pair talked sports and talked shit especially about the good old days at the Gold Cadillac. Those were the days I remembered; when they both were a lot younger, a whole lot tougher and certainly wilder. I don’t think Billy even owned a car then, just that ratty old bike; I liked to make fun of him about. Back then those two chased everything in a skirt. If one lied, the other most certainly would swear to it. On more than one occasion they had been known to fight their way out of a bar or two. It never mattered how the fight started, they always finished it, having each others back. Then they’d come rolling into the Cadillac laughing their heads off because they’d had so much fun.
They had this salty banter between them, often greeting one another by giving the other the finger or slinging some insult across the room. If you didn’t know them you might think they didn’t like one another but you would have been very wrong. They were just like that, to them it was funny. I guess in their own way they were telling the other “we’re good man”! Sometimes in life we’re lucky enough to come across that special person that is always there for you; even when you are an asshole. It’s important to find someone that simply understands you; good or bad, right or wrong, drunk or hung-over and likes you in spite of all the warts. That was the two of them, Billy and Snag. No matter what roads they cruised down they made time for the other. They watched as each others lives unfolded taking slightly different paths, not that it mattered. In spite of the obstacles their friendship never wavered, they were really lucky and each of them knew it.
At the end they were together saying their good-bye’s in the fashion you’d expect. Snag held Billy’s frail hand willing it to change or be over, so the suffering would stop. That was I’m certain one of the very hardest things either of them ever did. Of course knowing them they continued talking shit, while reminiscing about their running days. Of course by then Snag did most of the talking, reminding Billy about their escapades over the years. Oh yea, those were the days when Jack Daniels was always part of the party and they could do anything on two hours sleep. He told me in that fateful call that Billy went out like the man! Saying it was hard letting him go but he understood that Billy was tired and ready. He continued by saying “So I told him what are you waiting for you prick. Get on with it, it’s time to let go man.” Knowing Billy I’m certain he replied in kind saying “I was just waiting on your ugly ass.”
Then his voice trailed off, lost now in the ocean of grief surrounding him. I knew there was nothing more to say it was over. I had an inkling that he was wondering what life could possibly be like without Billy in it. Rarely in the year that has passed is there ever a phone call between us that Billy isn’t a part of. He may be gone but as long as his best friend is around he will never be forgotten.
We raise our glasses in your memory with our hearts filled with love and respect. “To Billy Hartfield”
04/09
