Pd1: Gordon D Thanksgiving

Driving away from school on Tuesday afternoon, I was anticipating the next forty eight hours and all the jobs I had to get done before 11 am on Thursday. I knew my family would be coming over for an early Thanksgiving meal before the Eagles game on, but I never expected a sudden text message would catch me so off guard.

"In Philly" was all it said.  Confusion grabbed me, then quickly turned to excitement as my mind processed that my oldest friend, Derek Jones, was back in the area all the way from Florida.

Born nine whole days apart, "D-bones" and I were best friends growing up.  Many of my childhood memories of terrorizing Swarthmore came as a result of riding my bike across town on a Saturday morning and meeting up with Derek and his two older brothers, Colin and Trevor.

Derek and me in Swarthmore (scene of Renato Pizza)

Having not been back to Swarthmore in several years, Derek wanted to take his fiance to Renato Pizza where we used to dine on cheese fries and pizza along with the famous Renato Water Ice, so we met for lunch.  He used to house those mozzarella fries and pour birch beer down his throat when we were kids. Leslie, the future Mrs. Jones, snapped this photo as we said goodbye.  

On Friday I drove across the bridge into Jersey to their Uncle Jim's house. Do you know that feeling you get when you are around people you haven't seen in a long time, yet there is no need to small talk and ask: "how have you been?" or "what have you been up to?" Though we had not seen each other for nearly seven years, we wasted no talking about trivial matters, instead jumping right back into our friendhip. 

We watched Navy crumble before the athletic, wide-open offense of Houston; we rooted for Iowa to take down Nebraska; we ate leftovers from the day before; and we enjoyed time together in each other's presence. 

 

The Brothers Jones- from right: Derek, Colin, and Trevor

I don't know the next time we will be together as a group-the Jones brothers don't often come up to New Jersey to visit, and each of them is getting married sometime in the next year.  Perhaps it will be another seven years before we are all reunited.  I hope that is not the case.  I do know that when we meet again, we will immediately catch up, just like old times.