I get a call from an unknown number, and realize that it’s the Gent. As I’ve said, he does things for the government, and was on a plum assignment in Europe, after a dangerous stint in Iraq. Now I find out that he volunteered for a temporary assignment in the Middle East, hence the strange number. This man can never seem to stay in any of the cushy office jobs that he has earned, after spending most of his career in the armpits of the world, trying to make things better.
 

You know, bitches write glam-romance stories about how they’d love the most honorable men among us to go to dangerous places and do amazing things. But I can tell you from experience that it’s terrifying in real life. I love this dude with everything, not the same as Halo, but the Gent is my oldest friend and my ace. My heart. Me and the Gent are damn near the same person, and for years, I’ve been the one that he calls to have a wee whiskey while bombs are falling outside wherever he is.
 

And my heart breaks for him, every fucking time, because he volunteered for that shit.
 

I just wish bitches would start getting their minds right, instead of waiting for guys like the Gent to get it right for them. I wish bitches would see past their grievances to what we want the world to be like, to what we can each give up in our pride to make the world better, so my friend can fucking come home.
 

We spend so much time pointing fingers and talking shit. Even when we have a right to do so, what does it matter? Accusations sow bitterness, which sows animosity, and then there we are, in a cycle of hate. I’m not an optimist exactly, but I do a lot to avoid stirring up negative energy to no purpose. Unless I really need to defend myself, it has no purpose beyond turning weak people into Fury!zombies who just want to be mad at everything. And that’s how we end up in nation-sized situations that my friend has to go in and solve.
 

If we all just paused long enough to think about when it’s the right time to keep the peace, the Gent could come home and be with his family and friends. I could take him out for a milkshake and a walk like we used to do in college.
 

I’ve been blessed to have known four hardcore gentlemen in my life, my Dad, Halo, Hubs, and the Gent. God forbid I have to lose one. God forbid.