MY BEST FRIEND

I have spoken before about the good friends that I have been fortunate enough to have but of them all, Nick is really my best friend. It all happened on a tennis court playing with Paul. It seemed each week when we scheduled our game we were placed on the court adjacent to two other guys. After several weeks in which we were friendly enough to exchange greetings, one of them came to my locker row and asked, "How much tennis are you playing"? I replied, "only once a week". He then said, "well, my name is Nick Camm and I would like to play once a week with you". To make a long story somewhat shorter, I agreed and we began to play. Now as it turned out, I found his favorite expression after I hit the ball was to shout "OUT"! It became my favorite jibe at him on many occasions. Of course the ball wasn't out. It could be in the middle of the court and if he knew he couldn't return it---- "OUT"!

He turned out to be a very friendly person with a great sense of humor who laughed at almost everything I said. I could have said "I have a large boil on my butt" and he would think it hilarious. But that was his personality. Everything was funny to him. He became my best audience for my humor and my jokes. As a matter of fact, I could tell him a joke and he would laugh. I could tell him the same story two days later and he would laugh some more as though he had never heard the joke. Either I was a poor teller of tales, or he had a bad memory or maybe he just liked to laugh. I think that was the case and I went on telling stories and he kept laughing. He and I and two other guys also played golf, and Nick, who was older than the rest of us would tee off from the Ladies tee. He would also put a tee in the ground each time he hit the ball except of course on the green. It was a constant time of ragging on each other with Nick catching most of the flak. He loved it. He used to brag that he had shot an 80 at a tournament on a different course which, with his handicap gave him a net 60. Of course it was the low score of the day. We never accepted that as a fact. We just kept saying, "You never shot an 80 in your life".

One day he even found the score card from that tournament and we said, "No way! You went to the course and got one of their cards and faked your score." It drove him crazy but he laughed at all of our digging and was fun to play with. He had a habit which drove me nuts, to go up to people he didn't know and they instantly started laughing. What did he say? Who knows? But they were laughing. I was saying, "C'mon Nick lets go", but he never paid any attention to me. He was on center stage and he was milking it for all he could get. Nick would go up to people in a theater and ask if he could have their popcorn and they laughed and offered it to him.

I could go on a long time talking about my best friend. He was a Jew and the two of us made an interesting couple. The Jew and the Mormon! But Nick is no longer the man he was. He is living in a facility and stays in his room and naps or watches TV. The man was the most gregarious person I have ever known. He only laughs when I call him, and when he does I laugh with him. I miss him a lot and always go get him when I go back to Minnesota and we enjoy our relationship. He is 93 now and the spark he once had is fading, but each time I call him when I hang up I always give him one more shout "OUT' and he laughs!!