Early that morning, Dad woke me up and took me downstairs to his office to talk. Mostly, he asked what happened and why. He asked me if I understood what happened to Gary and what may still lie ahead. Surprisingly, he gave me no punishment. He said that nothing he could do would match the anguish I would feel waiting to see what happened to Gary.

John wasn't so lucky. His parents grounded him for a month and put him on hard labor as well. They insisted that the band take a break too (thereby solving our drummer problem). Walt? Who knows? He was being raised by his father who had a reputation of not being very involved. We never talked about it.

Gary survived, responded well to treatment, and was released the next day. Dad and I went to visit. In an awkward dance of thanks and relief, we both knew that a lot had changed that evening including our friendship. We remained friends but slowly drifted apart, perhaps in part out of embarassment that we somehow let each other down when we silently agreed to join the entourage.

Well known wild man and outlaw lyricist, Warren Zevon. Also, a favorite artist of mine.

By Monday morning, we were celebrities. Gary missed a couple of days of school, but the rest of us were lauded as cooler-than-cool outlaws. We went to the police station and lived to tell about it. Certain girls showed interest where none had been before. Seemingly everyone knew what happened (or at least their version of it) and wanted to slap our backs and be pals. Much like today's star machine though, it was yesterday's news soon enough.

This story is, for me, a watershed for much of who I am. Why in the world did Gary and I agree to go along with John? I guess we were trying to conform to what "cool" kids were doing. Ultimately though, by following someone else's lead you give up the reins and don't get to steer anymore. You see where that led.

While I can say that I've never considered myself a liar, this also confirmed that the truth can set you free. If I hadn't told Gary's dad what really happened, what may have happened next?

I saw the follies that a lack of character causes too. When we were "caught" by the policeman (small world: he was the older brother of a friend of my brother), we could have run and left Gary there. I stood to own up to what happened and take whatever punishment was mine. I'm not sure that John and Walt would have stayed, if I didn't.

I also saw the fragility of life. Gary was close to death at one point that night. A series of simple, dumb ass kid mistakes may have cost a life. This alone has perhaps caused me to be more cautious as I entered the wild age of my late teens. Unlike other friends, I was not interested in jumping off cliffs into questionable waters, racing cars on winding two lane roads, or sneaking into junkyards to see what could be stolen.

The value of friendship and the responsibilities that run both ways became plain as well. I learned the difference between an acquaintance and a friend. To this day, I have a small circle of friends and keep them close.

Lastly, I learned something from Dad that I try to use as a parent. Often, the most effective way of teaching is by listening. By simply asking questions and not lecturing me about the stupidity of what I did, he allowed me the time to realize all of the things I needed to learn.

Note: Gary grew up to become a successful electrical engineer and won several industry awards for his designs. John owns a body shop. I've lost all track of Walt.

Part One | Part Two

Note again: Names changed to protect the not-so-innocent.