my first friend

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The date was July 1996, I was fresh off the boat from Ireland (accent and all) and we had just moved into our new house in Calgary. With it being summer vacation I did not have the chance to make friends yet so I turned to hanging out with the neighborhood kids. Luckily my next door neighbors had a son, he was younger but still nice to have a buddy to hang around with. He was also a hockey player, and one morning his parents asked if I would like to tag along and watch an early morning game. So I did, and we watched the game and I enjoyed it even though I didn’t understand the rules and thought that the rink smelt like rotten sour cream.

Lucky for me there was another young kid playing in this game, and his name was Thomas Hickey. After the game as Thomas was getting ready, my neighbors and the Hickeys were chatting and they introduced me as the new kid from Ireland. They said Daniel, this is Pat, you and him will be going into grade 5 together at John Costello in the fall. Both of us starred at each other and shook hands. Little did I know that I had just met my best friend and a guy who would forever have a major impact on my life. Dan had the brightest red hair and the most freckles I had ever seen, he looked like so many of the friends I had left in Ireland, so I thought "well this is off to a good start".

The summer finished, and the first day of school arrived. I was very nervous not knowing anyone. Before going inside all of the kids congregated on the tar mac outside by the playground. I remember standing by myself, baseball hat on with a wicked V peak brim, hands holding the straps to my backpack and starring down at the ground. Dan and some of the other guys were standing in a group and they were looking over at me asking “Who is this guy? and what’s wrong with his hat?” Dan then told them he had met me in the summer and I was a cool guy. About 2 minutes later I heard “Hey Pat” remember me from the summer. I said yeah I do and we shook hands again. Dan then introduced me to the guys, guys who have also been my best friends to this day.

This story is more than 24 years old and our friendship has gone through grade school, lots of travel, too many beers, a few girls, being roommates, wedding parties and lifelong brothers.

Dan always loved to remind me that I owed him big time. He would say “You are SO lucky you met me, I gave you friends and popularity”…”If I had decided not to be friends with you, you may have ended up with the outcasts!” And all joking aside, there is some truth to that, I do owe him, he introduced me to my lifelong friends at the beginning of our friendship as well as to some later on. But most importantly I owe Dan for the friendship and love we had for 24 plus years, and for that I will always be grateful.

Pura Vida brah,

$noop Dan and 2Pat 4 Life    

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