The Wonder Years

I had dinner with my old roomate, Pablo Honey tonight. I lived with Pablo for about 4 years after I moved in with him, Buchie and Teddy Ballgame after my separation in 1998. We were reminiscing about the good old days in the old apartment together and I was reminded of a funny story.

Pablo has a cousin, Kevina, that he is close to. There was always some sort of drama happenning between the two of them back then since they were so close. They were like an old married couple and we used to compare them to Paul and Kevin on the "Wonder Years". One night, when "Kevin and Paul" went to a Steeler game, Buchie and I put a Wonder Years narrative message on our outgoing answering machine. If you remember the ending of just about every Wonder Years episode, you'll get a kick out of this.

Each episode of the show ended in some sappy narrative about how the events of the show had "changed their lives forever". I only wish I had a copy of the tape or the numerous out-takes that me and Buchie busted out laughing while leaving the message. Of course I don't remember the exact message but this is a "tribute" to the greatest message in the world. I wish you could've been there.

"And as we walked back to our car
after the game under a moonlit night,neither of us spoke.
For we knew that the events of the night
would forever change the way we looked at each other.
No longer would we be carelessly flipping baseball cards
or riding our bikes without thought of tomorrow.
For tonight the world has changed and
we could never go back to a simpler time
of youthful indiscretion.
Our lives had been touched
and our relationship would be redefined
by our experiences on this winter evening.
Time marches forward and carries us into adulthood
regardless of our wishes, hopes and dreams unfulfilled.
But one thing remains constant...
my friend Paul...(cue "With a Little Help From My Friends" music)"

God only knows how many takes it took us to place that message on the answering machine but I know that after me and Buchie left that message, I knew that our lives would be forever changed.....lol