When I was married in 1982, I invited him to my wedding. He replied in a snarky way," I don't go to weddings." I should have ended our so called friendship then and there, but for some unknown reason I remained friends with him.
Anyway, around 1980 or 1981, he had a girlfriend named Teresa. Teresa, a very pretty girl who one day announced that she was breaking up with him. It seems she met and fell in love with a police officer. They were to be married. He could provide for her in ways Bill never could. He lived in a nice house in newly developed neighborhood. Bill on the other hand, lived in the upstairs section of his parents house. Her husband had his own car while Bill, closing in on the age of thirty, bummed rides off of his friends. I was one of them.
Bill simply shrugged his shoulders and meekly stepped aside. He told me that Teresa's husband was going to involve him in the police film program. I rolled my eyes when Bill told me that one. Even I knew the police department didn't have any film programs. This was simply a self soothing mechanism he used to help minimize his heart ache, though he denied being broken hearted. He claimed to be extremely happy for her.
Bill continued to be in her life, content to be "just a friend" doing things like watching her son while she and her future husband spent time together. Bill never complained. He gladly became an instant baby sitter. Anything to help Teresa. I must admit, it grated on my nerves that Bill let himself be treated like a dish rag. But it was his choice to be relegated to be her Eunuch.
One day I visited Bill and he asked me to drive him to her house. As usual, whenever I drove him anywhere I was repaid with movie memorabilia. The catch was that I was to wait in my car while he visited her alone. I was rather pissed that I had been relegated to being his chauffeur, but the promise of movie memorabilia to add to my growing collection made the situation more palatable.
Bill bought a bottle of champagne to offer as a wedding gift. Bill was so proud of the note he had written that he read it out loud to me. It said: Congradulations To Your Upcoming Nuptials. Your Pal, Indy. Imagine the ego of that prick; comparing himself to Indiana Jones. If he was in a movie it would be called: Indiana Jones In The Temple of The Castrated Men.
Well, a few hours later, he came walking back to my car, Teresa's son was accompanying him; it was obvious Bill had been drinking. The kid, who was about twelve or thirteen was comforting him saying, " It's okay Bill. Everything will be fine." It was pathetic watching Bill, an almost thirty year old man, being given comfort and council from a twelve year old.
Bill staggered into my car and on the way home he told me how he spent the whole time he was there trying to convince Teresa to take him back. He even managed to drink the entire bottle of champagne by himself. I felt lucky I wasn't there to watch Bill make a total ass of himself. Oh sure, it would have been funny, but at the same time, it would have been pathetic in a cringe worthy way. On the way home, Bill stuck his head out of the window and shouted, Teresa, I love you!" And that, for the record, was definitely cringe worthy.
