Not another birthday!

Here's another memory, sorry if they all seem sad, but it's how they come to me.
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Remember sitting on the couch..........hot day..... humid...... sweaty....... dirty...... tired. She sits down on the arm of the couch, drapes her legs across me, pop....shshshshsh, opens the cold one, takes a sip and hands it to me. Ahhhhh, good, real good. Then the click of the bic and the long slow draw off a round one. The smoke hits my nostrils, and it becomes a moment that I have never forgotten.
She really pulled a "boner" once, more than once, but this one is classic. Proved maybe she trusted me too much. haha Went to the house to help her brother build a fence for the dog. Not so bad except she bought the case of beer before we started. She goes to work and so did we, on that beer. She comes home from work and we haven't started the fence and the beer is gone and we are on the couch watching tv. Not good. Next day she tries again, are you kiddin' me? haha Same result, except some of the holes are there for the fence posts, hmmm, progress. Saturday comes and with her supervision, kind of a half-a.. fence is put up for a large german shepherd, who promply pushes it almost to the ground and hops over. He, of course, thinks he did something cool and jumps around like a pup, laughing and making fun of us. She still always thought highly of me, it seemed. Always treated me very well.
Showed up once, had a habit of that. She spoiled me for others, because it became a habit. I never called or whatever, just showed up. Anytime, day or night, she never said anything about it. If it was a bad time, she told me and I'd come back another time. But this time, the dog had been shot, reason for the fence. I just walked up and she was running around, frantically. Someone had been spooked by the big dog and shot him. I just grabbed him up and put him in the car and off we went to the local vets office. After the treatment and things had settled, except for the ill will against the shooter, she told me something I've only heard on that occasion, she said "you know you are always there for me when I need you". Better'n money in the bank.
I can't forget the Christmas party either. Sorry, but back then we spent a great deal of our lives involved with alcohol and ........whatever..... But this party was really something. We had all drawn names and bought ...........uhh......paraphernalia. As your name was called, you gave your gift and everyone .....tried it out. From that point of view, it was great fun. Wouldn't .....couldn't do that these days, but early 20's and bulletproof, was fun. It was the only time I ever showed anyone the "water trick" my dad had taught me years ago. I won't describe it, because I may get the opportunity to do it again some time, haha. It was great fun, no doubt.
We went to a concert together once. I went and had special t-shirts printed for the event. Hers said "BITCH BITCH BITCH" and mine said "Quitcherbitchin' ". The concert was fantastic, one of the finest shows I've ever seen. And afterwards, when I took her home.........was the first time......well.......thought seriously about it.......but we never did.
I can't imagine, as close as we were. The time we spent together. Never did.
She was always involved in things were you could be injured and did make the hospital more than a couple of times back then. I always showed up, hell bent, get out of my way, I'm here to see my friend, not you. Didn't matter who. Ha, went on a motorcycle trip once, fell asleep, fell off, damn.
But the last time.........I didn't make it. Maybe something inside told me, it was the last time. Maybe I thought........it would be ok. I was going to go on Saturday. No reason.
I miss you my friend, here with all my memories. That part of my heart is and will always be.....yours.
Happy Birthday!