Somewhere towards the end of my three year tenure, I inadvertantly became the first and only man ever granted an honorary membership to this tight knit group of TGIF drinkers. The details are sketchy as to how I became inducted, but it goes something like this. I went into the kitchen to retrieve my lunch box after staying late on a Friday. The ladies were loud, boisterous and generally bashing this man or that man in their lives. When I entered the room, one of the ladies off-handedly said, "why don't we ask Jerry, he's a man so he can tell us." The question that was ask has long since slipped my memory, but the answer I gave was how a man would view the situation and there were jaws dropping among the group. Apparently, my answer flew against everything any of them had suspected because they sought out the answer from a women's point-of-view. Before long, they realized what a prized commodity it was to have a young, fresh male perspective and not one that was biased in favor of men (most of the time) around.
I soon became a "member - not voting" (a play on words for sure). Everytime the women couldn't figure out why their husbands or boyfriends acted or thought a certain way, I gave them my point of view as if I were in his shoes, and man did the light bulbs go off. It was amazing to realize that women were truly and yet often clueless about how the male brain worked. At the same time, they reciprocated in meager proportions to allow me insight into the female brain. As it turned out, I began feeling more comfortable talking with women than men (and now you know the story behind who I am today).
Still, I look back and I remember the good-ole-days. Hearing the laughter of drunken moms, the mostly good-spirited male bashing, and waiting with anticipation when a piece of advice I gave to one of the ladies came back as either "worked" or "didn't work." They were amazing ladies and we genuinely cared about each others well-being. One of the leaders of the troupe was a dear, kind, sweet-hearted soul that I wished would have lived forever, and yet she is no longer with us anymore. I dare not mention her name, but in honor of her and the love I still have for her today, I miss her so much and wish life had been kinder and she could have stayed longer. The repercussions of her untimely death reverberate even now, two years later. I still miss her and I surely always will. She held me together like only a true friend can when your life is falling apart. Sometime soon, I will mix up a slightly over tequila'd margarita and drink it alone while remembering the good times, the great ladies, and the days we can never get back. Wherever the four winds have scattered the remaining Margarita Club members today, I still remember you all and I'm thankful for the prestigious honor of becoming "the man."