Remembering Joel

Today I received the voicemail message that no one ever wants to get: "Felicia, it's Mike. Can you call me back? It's about Joel. He...he died Saturday night in a motorcycle accident."

Joel was a friend who I considered a brother. He was the most loyal friend you could ask for; that man would do anything for you.

His resume included serving in the military and he was a doctor, but you wouldn't know just by looking at him. Ever watch the show "House"? The main character, Dr. House, kind of reminds me of Joel: first impression is that he's tough, but really he's a teddy bear inside. The difference between Dr. House and Joel (besides the fact that he laughs so much) is that you're intimidated by House b/c of his personality whereas you're intimidated by Joel for his physical attributes: strong, tall German with a shaved head and tattoos all over (but not above the shoulders or on his hands so he was presentable in a business setting). It never surprises people to learn he used to be a bouncer at a few nightclubs. As a matter of fact, he had such a strong reputation that he was the only person (besides cops) allowed to wear a firearm inside any nightclub that we went to.

When informing Mom today over the phone, I could hear the emotion. She immediately began speaking of his stories. Joel had more fascinating stories than you could imagine. For example, while working for the government, a man shot at him with an automatic firearm, and he was hit 11 (yes, ELEVEN) times in the intestinal area. The rehab was extensive and he still has scars, but he didn't talk about it much because it was just another part of his life...he acted like it was no big deal.

I remember the first time we met. It was about 7 years ago and I was just starting to hang out at Mike's (now ex-boyfriend but still dear friend). Joel came in and was nice, but didn't pay me too much attention. Somehow we got on the topic of motorcycles:
Felicia: You have a bike?
Joel: Ya, just like the one parked outside
F: You mean the black and purple one?
J: Yup (proud smile on his face)
F: Oh, that's mine
Instant bond. The rest is history.

We stayed friends through our few years in Tucson, AZ then Joel, Mike and I moved around the same time to Southern California. A couple years ago Joel moved to Chicago and I moved to Charlotte. We stayed in each other's lives in various ways, but not nearly as much as we should have. I should've called more, emailed more, visited occasionally. But I can't do anything to change that now.

Now I'll just have to be content knowing I will never forget him.
Joel - May your memory stay with us forever. I will always love you.