IN EVERY LIFETIME THERE'S ONE PERSON THAT YOU CAN NEVER FORGET AND BOBBY WAS THAT PERSON FOR ME.

I MET BOBBY IN HIGH SCHOOL AND I THOUGHT TO MYSELF (WATCHING HIM ALONE ON THE STAIRS EATING HOT FRIES AND A PEPSI) SMILING AND LAUGHING TO HIMSELF WHAT COULD  BE GOING THRU THIS PERSON'S HEAD GRABBING A FRY(YES ONE AT A TIME)WITHOUT LOSING A BEAT AND THIS WAS AT EVERY LUNCH FOR THE WHOLE YEAR AND SUBSEQUENTLY I HAD HIM AGAIN SAME LUNCH PERIOD FOR TWO MORE YEARS TIL WE GRADUATED AND STILL ATE THE HOT FRIES WITH THE SAME BEAT WITH THE SAME CAN OF PEPSI. IT WAS YEARS TILL I CAME ACROSS BOBBY AGAIN, HE STARTED WORKING AT THE SAME HOSPITAL AND IT WAS  EVE THEN WE BACAME THE BEST OF FRIENDS AND FUNNY I TOLD HIM ABOUT THAT FIRST DAY I SAW HIM ON THOSE STAIRS HE LAUGHED. THOUGH EVERYTHING CHANGED BOBBY DIDN'T HE LOOKED THE SAME WAS MORE OPEN. YES BOBBY WAS GAY AND I BELIEVE THE CHANGE IN HIM WAS WHEN HE FINALLY ACCEPTED WHAT HE WAS AND NOW OLDER AND WISER HE DIDN'T CARE WHAT OTHERS THOUGHT OF HIM-WELL OTHERS EXCEPT HIS FAMILY. BOBBY WAS VERY MUCH INTO FAMILY BUT BEING GAY HIS FAMILY IGNORED HIM AND ONLY TOLERATED HIM BC THEY KNEW HE COULDN'T MAKE IT ON HIS OWN SO HE THOUGHT THAT THE LOVE HIS FAMILY GAVE HIM WAS NOTHING MORE THAN THREAT'S TO KICK HIM OUT AND DO AS THEY SAY TO KEEP HIM IN LINE. 

THIS WENT ON UNTIL THE SCARIEST DAY OF MY LIFE, JANUARY 11, 2012, HE WAS ADMITTED INTO THE SAME HOSPITAL WE WORKED IN THE PAST LOOKING PALE AS PALE CAN BE AND THE ER DOCTOR LOOKING AT HIS XRAY SAID BY THE CONDITION OF HIS HEART SHOWED HE SUFFERED TWO HEART ATTACKS AND EMERGENCY SURGERY WAS EMINENT AND THE SOONER THE BETTER SINCE BOBBY WAS ALSO A DIABETIC AND HAD PERIPHERAL NERVE DAMAGE AND DRS WERENT SURE OF HIS OUTCOME SINCE THEY HAD TO CONTROL THE DIABETES AND NERVE DAMAGE BEFORE THE HEART SURGERY AND THRU 14HRS OF SURGERY HE WOKE UP JUMPED OUT OF THE WHEELCHAIR AND SAID LETS GO HOME. EVEN THRU THAT HE STILL HAD HIS SENSE OF HUMOR. HE WAS IN RECOVERY FOR THREE AND A HALF WEEKS AND RELEASED ON FEBRUARY 7. IT WAS A HARD RECOVERY DEALING WITH HIS FAMILY AND RECOVERING BUT HE DID IT AND THIS CAUSED EVEN MORE OF A STRAIN TO HIM AND HIS FAMILY AND WAS ADVISED BY THE SURGEONS THAT IF HE WANTED TO LIVE HE'D HAVE TO CHANGE HIS SITUATION- HIS LIVING SITUATION AND WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE HIS FAMILY TOLD HIM THEY COULDN'T DEAL WITH HIM AND THEY EVICTED HIM WITH A POLICE ESCORT ON DECEMBER 7 EXACTLY A YEAR SINCE THIS ALL STARTED. SO HE WAS ABLE TO GET AN APT AND MET NEW PEOPLE AND THE ONE THAT STUCK IN MY HEAD WAS A GUY NAMED 'JASON' ONLY BC BOBBY SAID 'JASON' MADE HIM LAUGH AND BOBBY THRU ALL THIS PAIN FROM FAMILY AND THE ILLNESS AND SURGERY ALWAYS HAD A SMILE ON HIS FACE OR LAUGHING. THEN BOBBY CAME TO ME IN APRIL OF 2013 TREMBLING AND CRYING TELLING ME HE GOT A CALL FROM A MUTUAL FRIEND THAT HIS PLACE WAS BROKEN INTO AND HIS COMPUTER WAS STOLEN. HE THOUGHT IT WAS SOMEONE FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD (IT WASN'T THE SAFEST BUT CHEAPER) TILL HE NOTICED 'JASON' JUST STOPPED HANGING OUT BUT THE THOUGHT WAS UNCONSCIONABLE TIL BOBBY WENT TO A NEIGHBOR WHO HAD SECURITY CAMERAS AND IT WAS THEN(A MONTH AFTER THE BREAK IN) THE FOOTAGE SHOWED 'JASON' COMING OUT OF THE BACK ALLEY ONTO THE STREET WITH HIS BACKPACK AND CLOSER FOOTAGE SHOWS A CORD DANGLING AND EVERYONE WHO KNEW 'JASON' KNEW HE DID NOT OWN A LAPTOP. SO WE KNEW WHO THE CULPRIT WAS AND HE KNEW WE KNEW

WHAT GETS ME IS BOBBY WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR WHOEVER ASKED. HE ALWAYS SAID IF HE COULD HELP HE WOULD AND IF HE COULDN'T HE'D TRY TO GET IT DONE. HE EVEN LET 'JASON' USE HIS CAR TO DRIVE TO PENNSYLVANIA TO MAKE SOME MONEY BUT FOUND OUT TWO DAYS LATER THAT HE WASN'T GOING TO PENNSYLVANIA BUT TO DRIVE HIS OFF AND ON GIRLFRIEND 'BROOKE-LYNN' TO NEW JERSEY TO LIVE WITH HER FATHER. AND THAT JUST TORE HIM BECAUSE AS LONG AS I'VE KNOWN BOBBY ALL HE ASKED FROM PEOPLE WAS THREE THINGS: DON'T LIE, CHEAT, OR STEAL FROM HIM. AND EVERYONE HE MET BROKE ALL THREE.

FOUR YEARS PAST, ITS NOW DECEMBER 7 WITH NO AVAIL TO RECOVERING HIS COMPUTER, HIS HEALTH, BEING ESTRANGED FROM HIS FAMILY, THE HOLIDAYS COMING AND GOING, I GET A CALL ITS BOBBY SAYING HE'S RUNNING ERRANDS AND WILL STILL BE ABLE TO MEET FOR DINNER. NOW IVE KNOWN BOBBY FOR 20YRS AT THIS POINT AND I KNOW BOBBY HATES DOING CHORES OR ERRANDS ON THE WEEKEND SO THIS CALL OUTS A DARK CLOUD IN MY HEAD. THIRTY MINUTES NO BOBBY NO CALL THIS GOES ON FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF NOW IM CONFUSED BC BOBBY IS ANAL ABOUT BEING ON TIME (MILITARY CHILD) I GO HOME AND TELL MYSELF TO WAIT TILL THE MORNING AND HE'LL WALK IN AND HARASS ME TO WAKE UP BUT NOTHING. THIS GOES ON FOR TWO DAYS NOW IM SCARED CALL THE COPS REPORT EVERYTHING AND TOLD TO JUST BE PATIENT. DECEMBER 7 COMES AND ITS BUSINESS AD USUAL EXCEPT STILL NO WORD FROM BOBBY. 12:30P(LUNCHTIME) I GET THE CALL NO ONE EVER WANTS TO GET- BOBBY'S BEEN FOUND AND POLICE NEEDS TO SEE ME. NOW I KNOW ITS BAD AS IM ESCORTED TO THE MORGUE MY STOMACH TURNS I GET NAUSEOUS A LITTLE DIZZY AND THE DR SAYS ITS NOT PRETTY THERE ON THE TABLE WAS BOBBY WITH HALF HIS FACE BLOWN OFF. I COULDNT BELIEVE I WILL NEVER SEE BOBBY AGAIN HEAR THAT LAUGH EVER AGAIN AND STILL CONFUSED BC BOBBY HATED GUNS AND HERE HE WAS MISSING HALF HIS FACE AND FOUND BY POLICE WITH A SHOTGUN IN HIS MOUTH AND ONLY REASON HE WAS FOUND WAS A FARMER ON HIS TRACTOR SAW BOBBY'S CAR WITH THE DOORS OPEN AND WENT TO SEE.

NOW BOBBY WAS FAR FROM TELLING PEOPLE EVEN HIS FAMILY HIS PROBLEMS AND NO ONE EVER THOUGHT HE HAD PROBLEMS BC HE WAS ALWAYS SMILING AND LAUGHING BUT I SHOULD'VE KNOWN SOMETHING WAS UP BC BOBBY NEVER TURNED DOWN FOOD EVEN FREE FOOD SO THAT PHONE CALL HE MADE TO ME TELLING ME HE HAD ERRANDS AND WOULD STILL MAKE IT FOR DINNER WAS HIM CRYING FOR HELP BC IF YOU KNEW HIM BOBBY WAS ALWAYS THE FIRST ONE AT MEALTIME.

FOR THE LAST TWO AND HALF YEARS I WOULD SIT ON MY PORCH WITH A CUP OF COFFEE AND STARE INTO THE NIGHT SKY AND TALK TO BOBBY AS IF HE WAS STILL HERE  TELLING HIM HOW MY DAY WAS AND EVERYTHING WE WOULD USUALLY TALK ABOUT. DAMN I MISS HIM AND ASK MYSELF WHAT MADE HIM DO THIS SINCE HE WAS TERRIFIED OF DYING.

REST IN PEACE MY FRIEND AND WE ( DANNE, KAREN, MICHAEL, MATT, JUSTIN, MARY, JOHN, MIGUEL, LORRAINE, THE STAFF(AS WE CALLED OUR CO-WORKERS), AND MARK AND ME, KRAZY KAYLYNN) WILL BE EATING, SMILING AND LAUGHING ONCE AGAIN.