Chuck is one of my cousin Joe's best friends and after hanging out with him numerous times over the years I've come to find that he's a pretty damn good dude. I have had some good times hanging out with Chuck, Joe, and the other De La Salle boys, but one of the most memorable times was actually the one that happened not long before writing this.
It was MLK weekend and I decided to come in town to see my cousin Jenny and her husband Rob who were in town for the weekend as well as Joe and Julie. I was hanging out at their parents house for most of the day then around 9:00 or show Chuck showed up and him, Joe, and I went out to meet up a couple other people, Jeff and Zack, then go out on the town. Things started off pretty normal, kicking back a beer at a brewery in Warren, but after that beer we decided to turn the night up a notch and head to Royal Oak. When we arrive in Royal Oak, we start off at Zack's house because he lives a couple blocks away from the bars, unfortunately though, we didn't bring any beer. Lucky for us, Jeff has a stockpile of wine in the trunk of his car, so at the house we decide to play a game of slap the bag with some of the "highest rated boxed Sangria in the world." We got about ten minutes into the game, myself only getting two slaps in before Jeff takes a swig then gives the bag a slap, a slap which Chuck deemed insufficient. Jeff takes the bait, and with a big smile on his face, winds up and slaps the shit out of the bag which proceeds to explode and shoot dark red wine all over the white kitchen. Oh, and did I mention that there were about ten people none of us knew watching Blades of Glory in the living room? Because there were, and they heard me laughing my ass off to the point that tears were literally falling down my face because, and I shit you not, that kitchen looked exactly like a blood spatter scene from Dexter. Luckily for that house, we weren't a group of douchebags, so we cleaned up the place pretty damn well, but God was it hilarious.
The night ended back at Joe's parent's place with just me, him, and Chuck drinking a couple late night beers, smoking cigars, and listening to good music, specifically The Rolling Stones Exile on Mainstreet, one of the best albums ever made. And this end to the night is what makes hanging out with Chuck great. We can have the insanity at one point in the night then follow it up later with some good, old school hanging out. I expect I'll have plenty more chances for nights like this with Chuck and Joe, and there isn't a doubt in my mind that regardless of how much time passes between those times, we'll all pick up right where we left off.
Cheers,
Andrew
