My Bud Richard

Tonight I had dinner with Richard.

I've known Richard for almost 5 years. He was a co-worker. For 3 years he sat at the desk across the chest-high cube wall from me and I liked him from the minute I met him. He's a weird old curmudgeon, about maybe 10 years older than me although I realise the age difference does not excuse my own weird old curmudgeon-ness in the least. We had an open office system thing except for the chest-high cube walls that separated various groups within the company so I could always hear him on the phone. He was in procurement and did a lot of selling. Not just selling things but selling ideas and making deals and that kind of thing and he is the perfect person for this kind of job because he plays golf and people really like him. His conversations on the phone always made me laugh and now and then I would tell him he was totally full of shit.

During my year in Japan the company moved headquarters and Richard ended up in another job at a different company but he always kept in touch.

To tell the honest truth I always had a bit of a crush on him. The spring after I came back from Japan I read about growing potatoes in trash cans. I challenged him to a contest. We put $25 on who would have the biggest harvest. He went out and purchased 4 huge brand new trash cans and top-of-the-line soil (about $200 total). I ransacked my shed and used nasty old containers that I had to clean the squirrel poop out of first. 3 months later I had an extra $25! I still call him "Farmer Dick" and for some reason I think he thinks this is funny.

About a year ago he sold his condo and ended up buying a house very close to where I live and so I used this as an excuse to ask him out to dinner at a local restaurant so he could get to know his new neighborhood. For a time I actually had hopes it might turn into "something" but it never did and that is fine with me.

We talk regularly and get together maybe every couple of months and have dinner. I gave him a call Thursday and he immediately said we needed to have dinner and we made plans for tonight and met at the German place up the street from me.

As always it was 2 hours of constant talk. We never have a lull in the conversation and talk both business and life.

It was a good time and I am happy to have a friend like this!