His First and Last Beer

I have countless memories of my best friend, C, but one that makes

me smile is knowing he had his first, and his last beer with me. C grew up with a

single mother in a rough part of Jersey City. She worked multiple jobs to provide

for him and his younger sister, and he became the "man of the house" at a very young

age. I vividly remember walking to his house during summer vacations and he couldn't

go out because he had to mow the lawn, organize the shed, do other house work. This was from the

ages of around 10 to 15. His mom kept him busy, but for some reason

she always let me hang out with him over the other kids. We became best friends instantly,