3 Deep — OFF THE PORCH

I met my best friends Preston and Chris at Norfolk State University in 2006 during our freshman transition week. An unlikely friendship was formed that would later materialize into a brotherhood. A camaraderie that has had a major impact on my life that altered the way I viewed the world and my approach to the people in it.

Our friendship is tried and true, with several disagreements on the most frivolous of topics from debating the relevance of Michael Bay or our collective adoration for Denzel Washington. We’ve known each other long enough to brag about the significant women in our lives to also crying over those same women they broke our hearts.

We’ve known each other long enough to see our weight fluctuate up and down either from excessive chicken wings, depression, or slight alcoholism. We’ve verbally assaulted each other as well as physically assaulted each other that would later turn to apologies. Subsequently, apologizing when realizing the pain of not being in each other’s lives is simply not worth it.

We strive to better men and push each other forward to step into our destinies; with words of encouragement or admonishment. However, after we said our most profound piece, the conversation can quickly turn juvenile, as if we have no home training. We teeter back and forth from boys to men, regardless of meeting each other in our late teens and now we are in our early thirties with no sign of slowing down. True, our circumstances have changed; we can’t just go down the dormitory hall to see each other anymore. Effort has to actually be put in, travel dates and arrangements are a necessity as well as synchronizing times. We have bills, rent, a one has a wife; we’ve chased our careers across the states and abroad. However, regardless of the distance we keep in contact to share updates about our come-ups and setbacks. Nevertheless, nothing is like the feeling when we see each other after several months and we pick up right where we left off, which is usually us talking shit from the comfort of one of our living rooms sofa watching movies talking about shit we did in 2008. Though we live in the past, we very much so appreciate the future and look forward to the next time we see each other again, whenever that may be, but it gives us something to look forward to.

I am extremely thankful for their friendship, It is often times the thing that keeps me going and wanting to press on to be a better friend and a even better man. The wisdom and knowledge I have gained from two people really made me a better person; I can only hope they feel the same way. The bond that we have cannot be broken and it should be protected at all times.. “We ride together; we die together, 3 Deep 4 Life”

Somewhere downtown New York.. circa 2009