We'll always have "Billy Madison"

This week's Friendship Friday post is about R.T., another guy friend of mine.

I met R.T. during my freshman year of college. (He was a sophomore.) We were at a meeting to learn about Best Buddies, which is a program to pair up with adults who have developmental disabilities. He was genuinely nice and I liked that about him. He later got incorporated into my circle of friends. Then I introduced him to a different circle of friends the following semester.

Throughout our time in college, we would hang out a lot at school or during the summer. We had a lot of similar interests, such as "Rocky Horror," theater, Adam Sandler movies, our views on certain topics, etc. We always were platonic friends but he was good for a hug or two, as he loves sharing hugs with all his friends. :) After college, I introduced him to yet another circle of friends and he became part of that circle now. A lot of the time, he'd end up being the "token male" when a group of us went out, but he was so easygoing and fun to be around that it didn't matter.

R.T. has a great sense of humor and is very creative. He's able to write song parodies that could rival anything Weird Al does. He comes up with interesting ideas for movies and stories. I just hope he'll channel his creative energy to put his mark on the world someday. I think he'd be a good comedy film writer. He's performed in several plays that I've seen and his personality has always allowed him to shine on stage. He could have one line and still find a way to make himself the one to watch.

Anytime R.T. and I got together, we would watch MST3K or Adam Sandler movies. Our favorite is "Billy Madison" and we have fun quoting the lines together. He does a funny Adam Sandler impression too. He also does some other really good impressions of actors and characters. He told me that his nickname in high school was Kermit because he did a convincing Kermit impression. My favorite is still his impression of when Adam Sandler talked about improvised Halloween costumes (i.e. crazy spoon head).

R.T. and I even worked together one summer, at a home for adults with developmental disabilities, oddly enough. It was nice to see his friendly face when we were on the same shift and we had inside jokes about some of the people who worked with us but drove us crazy. Other times during that summer, as well as other summers, we went to a lot of movies and hung out at Buffalo (a diner known for their delicious ice cream sundaes).

Some things that stick out to me when I think of R.T. are his kindness and his passion. He is always thinking of his friends and putting them first. He has sent me cards for things that I wouldn't expect him to remember, such as Jewish holidays. He also got my children gifts when they were born. When he comes to parties, he can always be counted on to stay after and clean up. I've never even had to ask him for such help. He also loves kids and is really nice to them, whether they're my kids or someone else's. I remember one time when I was stuck at a bad job interview (long story), he came and picked me up to drive me back to my car, even though it was totally out of his way. (I got him lunch at Buffalo to thank him.) That's the kind of friend he is. As for his passion, R.T. is not afraid to speak his mind, especially when it's something really important to him. Even if his opinion isn't popular, he will still voice it loudly. He's currently single, but I know he'll make any girl he falls in love with feel incredibly happy and lucky. He has a lot of love in his heart and I know he'd treat the love of his life even better than he treats his friends, if that's even possible!

I don't get to spend time with R.T. as much as before, since he lives in Illinois. I try to see him when we're in town though, even if it's for a short time. He's very reliable and will always make a point to see me if he knows I'm around. When we're separated by distance, I like sending him articles and videos online because they usually fit his sense of humor or remind me of an inside joke. I look forward to seeing R.T. the next time I'm in town for a visit and hope that he'll come out my way on his yearly east coast trip. In the meantime and for the long run, I know we'll always have "Billy Madison."