Friendship.

Last night I was out with my friends in the Mission as always. It proved to be an... interesting experience.

As most of you know, I hold my friends in the highest esteem. They have always been for me. They have always looked out for me and supported me in damn near everything I've done (unless that something is damn foolish). I know that I can entrust them with any secrets and can always turn to them for advice and comfort. But there was something that I saw last night that proved exactly how good some friends are. Luckily it didn't involve me, nor do I hope that I ever put my friends in a situation like this.

It was last call. The guys and myself were leaving the bar and heading back to the car. As we paused, we saw it: two guys stumbling down the street. We giggled, exchanged the "oh man, they're going to hate themselves tomorrow" looks and stories, and kept on walking. So did the guys. We continued to be quietly amused in watching these guys weave their way along the sidewalk, clinging to each other for uprightness. As I looked a tad more closely and I was startled. "Holy crap -- that guy is missing a shoe!" I couldn't keep it to myself. The guy who was the far more visibly intoxicated of the two was walking down the street with one tennis shoe on and one sock-clad foot. Down 16th Street. Past the puddles of urine, past the gum and cigarette butts, past vomited-in alleys. Nothing between his foot and the concrete but a thin layer of used-to-be-white cotton.

Not even a third of a block had elapsed when I suddenly felt elbow jabs from my friend. We had walked by a storefront where the lighting was better than what we'd had at that point. I followed his pointing finger, and couldn't believe my eyes. My amazement was confirmed as my friend said to me in hushed tones: "He fucking pissed himself." He couldn't be more right. This poor fool was not only stumbling down the street being held up by his friend, he had lost a shoe and pissed his pants. There is no way to even begin to describe what kind of state that guy must have been in.

However, the whole time as we were trying to keep our laughter to a minimum so as to not draw attention to ourselves or to the fact that we realized dude was walking down the street in one shoe and pee pants, I had to stop and think for a moment "wow, that dude's friend has got his back far and beyond most anything anyone could expect." And while I honestly think that my friends would take care of me if I were to get into such a state, I rest happier knowing that my friends are quality enough that they would keep me from getting in that state in the first place.