The Man Himself

As time passed I got to know Mike better.  Our post class chats had revealed a lot of peculiar interests to me.  Mike was into Vampire the Masquerade and the whole Gothic scene.  Up to this point I had had no contact with that subculture but Mike provided me with an introduction. 

Mike wasn't a big guy in fact he was thin as a rail and pretty short.  But he had a look the long black hair, pale features, often cloaked in a trenchcoat, and occasionally topped with a top hat.  It was distinctive with the addition of combat boots and jeans.  And he worse glasses but it was a look that was impressive and suited him well.  I was just the giant in the t-shirt and jeans so people were prone to wonder what was up with the odd couple.  My point is Mike looked the part of a Goth without totally departing from something resembling normality. 

But he wasn't just Goth, Mike was relatively well read and creative.  It's a side I didn't see as often as some might have but he could write and he did.  And he had interests that an educated man should.  He developed this interest in English while working toward a computer programming degree.  He was an odd renaissance man of sorts I suppose.

He introduced my to a lot of things too.  I had my first clove with Mike and I took my first hit off a pipe with him sitting out in front of the computer lab where he worked.  (BTW that was before I started dating Wild, so don't kill hon.)  Mike also introduced me to the music of Tool and KMFDM, which have since become major parts of my music library.

Mike also introduced me to a  lot of people I probly never would have met.  He helped me get better acquainted with Bruce but he also introduced my to Tim and a host of other characters from that scene.  Mike provided my social network, unfortunately that network has persisted longer than its originator.

I also met Mike's girlfriend Jen.  Jen was a good gal she always was rather nice with me and she treated just about everyone with kindness.  At the time Jen was a bit too cheery for me.  I was having fun being depressed and lonely when she was trying to force me into being sociable.  I wasn't ready to be forced into being sociable by some way too happy, notably attractive girlfriend of Mike's. 

But I threw myself whole heartledly into Mike's world.  I guess I didn't quite connect with Mike's friends because we came from two entirely different worlds.  I was the odd guy who Mike hung out with and they were his normal club and Masquerade friends.  In this way I was an outsider.  I guess it's emblematic of me in that I have always been the quiet depressed introvert in any group of which I am a member.  In that I didn't do myself any favors as far as being accepted went.  But I went on like this for the better part of 2 years.  I went to Mike for the most part extending my friendship.  In exchange tho he gave me someone to relate to and communicate with.  And he gave me a group of people I could at least recognize as having spoken with.