“I must be getting worse because Sarah’s starting to treat me like I’m sick,” I type into my phone.
My perpetually cold, yet extremely tanned feet, rests on the table of the new and vastly improved beloved back deck, while I consider the future.
My phone buzzes so I read his reply, "Don't fall for that shit!"
Laughter erupts from deep inside and, in a nanosecond, whatever depressing thing I'd been focusing on evaporates and I can't wait to tell Sarah.
It's so good to laugh!
"You look like shit!" he cheerfully proclaims the next morning at 7:30 after I open the door.
"You're just telling me that!" I answer.
"I am," he grins, "You look great!"
Knowing how quickly I tire of being told I look great having stage 4 pancreatic cancer, John always tells me the opposite to make me feel better!
And it works!
He's made me laugh for decades now through a friendship that laid it's seed on the westside of the county shortly before we actually met.
Anyway Johnny O is on his way to his next movie audition.
Sarah and I have seen every one of John's movies and if you haven't, then do yourself a favor, watch them all and see the best 42 seconds of acting ever!
Johnny’s already famous so that’s not what drives his acting ambition. The truth is he’s already held jobs doing everything else. Acting is the only thing the man hasn’t done in life so he’s knocking it off the list.
Unbelievably though, he really is a good actor
I believe his talent was carefully built upon every lie he ever told after being caught.
You may also not be aware that John O’Neil was the person who originally coin s the phrase, “It wasn’t me.”
He says it with the straightest face every time regardless of the situation.
The Tybee Island Police Chief watches John rearrange all the letters on the sign in front of City Hall announcing Elvis’ upcoming concert on the Pier.
“It wasn’t me,” John explains after the Chief confronts him.
“Alright then,” the Chief says.
That’s some powerful acting there!
Regardless, Johnny and I have been friends forever. We’ve done lots of things together, like plastering 1,000 “Clothing Optional” bumper stickers all over … the place we were at then!
I can’t say where it was because of statue of limitation laws
Johnny was also best man at our wedding.
He passed out right after the vows.
He says somebody slipped a “Mikey” in the drink he was holding during the service.
It’s okay.
He called Sarah and I to apologize the next day on our honeymoon.
I’m thinking about lots of things these days, a few depressing as Hell.
But then Johnny shows up out of nowhere, packing like always, and makes Sarah and me laugh.
It is the best medicine.
And Johnny, thank you!
