Real Friends

While driving home from a meeting, I called my Dad. "Where are you?" I asked.
"On my way home from teaching a DWI class. Let's have coffee." And even though it was 8:30 p.m. and the last thing I needed was coffee, we met at PJs.
He was already seated at a table with a sugary apple cake. I opted for black coffee, and tried to pretend it was as good as his dessert. We talked, laughed, and solved a few of the world's problems. He waited as I ordered a Bananas Foster iced coffee to bring to my son, and spent the time gazing into the dessert showcase. All of a sudden, I heard him ask, "What are these things?"
"Which ones?" asked the employee, who was probably anxious to call it a night.
"The ones right here. The ones that look like eggs," said my Dad.
"They're eggs," answered another employee.
"But what are they really?" he asked, begging to know the true identity of the small, white, oval shaped objects.
"They're boiled eggs."
"Who buys them?" He just wouldn't quit. "How much are they?"
"Dad. Stop." I felt an obligation to end this interrogation. "You're going to be one of those people who shouldn't leave the house. Let's go."
In his defense, I've seen baby blankets and socks shaped to resemble cupcakes and cookies decorated to look like little footballs. The groom's cake at my niece's wedding looked exactly like a pot of boiled crawfish. I guess that's why my Dad had a difficult time believing there were really eggs next to the desserts at PJs.
But sometimes things, like eggs, are exactly as they appear. People, too. While many try to put up a front and pretend to be someone they're not, there are still people who are real and are really exactly as they appear. Meet Nikki Clement.
My daughter, Elise, met Nikki during their first semester at Nicholls State. When she entered our home, I felt as though I had known her for a very long time. She seemed to be warm, friendly, and sincere. I soon discovered she was also very energetic. Within minutes of our meeting, I looked out of my kitchen window and there she was, in the front yard on all fours, pouncing in the grass with Victoria's cat, Bacon. But that's Nikki. Unafraid of the opinion of others, she is true to herself and is exactly the person she portrays.
More than once, Nikki and her family have stepped in to help Elise before I was able to make the 50 minute drive to Thibodaux. They've done more for me than I will ever be able to repay. Knowing the Clements are only a few streets away from my daughter helps me to sleep better at night. Elise is probably in better hands with them anyway, for they are much nicer than I am.
When Elise decided to break her 'never live with close friends' rule, Nikki's mom, Trudy, found a house for them to rent although she had already bought a condo for Nikki to live in. See what I mean? She's a much nicer mother than me. Nikki's dad, Chris, and her brother, Trent, worked diligently and tirelessly during the grand move, creating a more than comfortable place for Nikki and Elise to share with their other roommates, Shay and Courtney.
Weeks after the move was complete, Trudy and I had an opportunity to visit. In the midst of much talk and many questions, answers, and phone calls, we discovered that Chris' mom, Joyce Cavalier Clement, and my parents where high school classmates. That makes Elise and Nikki… well, I guess it makes them best friends whose grandparents know each other, but I still think it's a major line in their 'connect the dots' story.
In a world of increasing apathy, lack of involvement, and neighbors who are strangers, I am pleased to report there are still warm, loving, generous people, and God has given me more friends like these than I will ever deserve. Elise, too. In Nikki, she has found a true friend. (I would love to say that Nikki's a good egg, but I fear that would be too corny, so I will choose another ending.)
May our lives be filled with friends like Nikki, and may we be the friends upon which others can depend.
Ronny may be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com