flashes

There are so many things I keep remembering about him. Bits and pieces, I keep saying to Mollie, "I saw that movie with Nate." or "He used to drink his orange juice like this."

I once had a dream about Nate. I was at his parent's house and he was outside and something weird happened, I don't remember what it was, but he just keep laughing like it was really funny. I told him about the dream, and his response was, "People always tell me, 'I had a dream about you, and it was really weird.' Nobody has normal dreams about me."

When Nate bought his first motorcycle, he rode it to my mom's house and showed it off to all of us. Andre said, "You've really outdone yourself this time." He looked like a total badass with all his leather and big shiny piece of metal with wheels.

Some years later he had his first wreck. I think he just took a turn wrong and he went tumbling into a ditch, mild concussion. He was with my ex girlfriend Maria, who told me to come to the emergency room where Nate was. I hurried up to Northside Hospital where Nate looked bruised and upset, but otherwise fine. He was annoyed that Maria wouldn't let him sleep, and that the nurses just told him he could. His bike was totaled, but he was okay.

It was years before he got another bike. Just a few weeks before he died, the last time I saw him, he had three bikes in his garage and he rode everywhere he went. He owned a fancy blue mustang, but said he never drove it. He also told me he lived walking-distance to the gym where he worked out every day, and I assumed he actually did walk, though Frank told me he never did. The accident happened on his way back from the gym.

When we played in the Vonny Bratchnies together, there would be times when we were learning new songs that Nate and Bradley would work together to figure out the parts and would want me to be quiet on the drums. These times were really boring, and I would inevitably start tapping on something and Bradley would get irritated. After one particularly long session of guitar/bass figuring out, I left the practice room and went to be bored around Braldey's house. Later Nate told me that some day we'd get an electric set for me to play with headphones while they figured things out. I thought that was a great idea, but it never happened.

The last time I saw Nate--the time he showed me his three bikes in his garage--he pointed to where my drum set would go when i brought it up to jam with him. He asked how much a cheap set would cost, I said about $400. He said maybe he would buy a set for his garage so I wouldn't have to worry about packing and unpacking my kit every time I came up to see him. Few people would ever consider doing something so generous with their money, time, and home.

Three quick ones:

The first time I ever saw cable internet was at Nate's house. He explained that you don't have to dial up or anything, you just turn on your computer and you're on the internet. I was blown away.

Nate went with me to buy my first box of condoms.

I have a post it note hanging next to my desk at work, where I am sitting right now. It says Paintball Sun Oct. 11 1PM. Plans with Nate. I then crossed it out because a co-worker's wedding was scheduled for that day. I then crossed out the wedding and wrote Wake. I was sitting by the casket when Ben and Melissa were wed.