My_Best_Friend

Jill Ferguson Katherine Tracy English 101 WWW 7A7 April 29th, 2011 Delicate Sleeves Henri Nouwen, a Catholic priest and author of 40 books on spiritual life, once said: “When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.”  Being so wisely worded, the previous quote is one of my favorites in describing true friendship.  Trevor Aucoin, my best friend, holds a very special place in my heart.  Our friendship is deeper and just simply more than I ever thought a friendship could be. He is one of those people with the warm and tender hands.  All my pain and all of my wounds seem to melt away when I have him by my side or in my heart.  He is more than just a friend, he’s like the big brother I never had.  Trevor Aucoin is my best friend because he has a way of providing me comfort that I cannot obtain from anyone else, he is easily the most genuine person I have ever met, and he can turn a mere sweatshirt into a cherished and comforting piece of material. As I slip it over my head, I cannot help but think of Trevor. The comfort, the softness, the warmth, and the security is provides me are almost as uplifting as being wrapped tightly in a signature Trevor Aucoin hug.  Grey in color but full of brightness, perfectly form-fitting, and soft as a freshly brushed bunny, this sweatshirt is my definition of happiness.  The design seems to give the sweatshirt the most “Trevor-like” qualities.  The front has a large sketch-drawn golden crown, which is very sloppily outlined in thick black lines. Under the crown is the name “Max” in all capital letters looking as if it were written by a child.  The sweatshirt is merchandise of the book-turned-movie “Where The Wild Things Are”.  This perfectly depicts Trevor because even though he is 20-years-old, he still has the spirit of a child.  As shown by his love for a beloved children’s story, Trevor has an extreme passion for being young and loving life.  As the sweatshirt envelops me in a trance of security, I smell faint traces of flavored tobacco and freshly cooked pancakes.  Though the combination of scents seem odd to many, they are the most comforting combinations I could ever have pass through my nasal cavities. Trevor’s character and kind nature seem to exude from the sweatshirt. Though I am at school, about 75 miles away from his apartment in Baton Rouge, I still feel him with me every time I slip on the sweatshirt. It does not replace him, nothing ever could, but it does help in the fight of being here in Thibodaux with him so far away.  He tells me his love and support is never ending.  As our friendship grows, so does my belief and trust in Trevor.  The more I learn about him, instead of being off-putting, seems to bring us even closer together. I have no doubt he will stay in my life for a very long time.        A very prominent characteristic of Trevor Aucoin, in our friendship especially, is his protective nature.  For me, this is a very welcomed characteristic.  I love having someone in my life that cares enough for me to always look out for me, and not let me settle for anything or anyone who is not the absolute best.  Just like any good friend, Trevor is more than willing to do anything he can to make sure I am happy, even if it means going against his standards somewhat. Standing stoic in the corner of the bar I asked him to come to, Trevor shoots me a look of uncertainty. Since Trevor is 6’3” and decently filled out, he doesn’t just “blend-in” in all situations. When he finally realizes that the glistening water drops on my face are indeed tears and not sweat, I see the rage start to boil beneath his skin.  He knew then that the boy I, at that point, had a fling with had emotionally damaged me yet again.  As Taylor, the boy I had the fling with, was rudely walking away from me while I was still speaking, I saw Trevor out the corner of my tear-filled eye anxiously shifting around in his spot.  Suddenly Trevor seemed to leap forward as if he were propelled by the anger building up within him.  He ferociously charged after Taylor with an obvious mission.  He wanted to fight Taylor, and he planned on winning.  As much as I wanted Taylor punched in the face at the time, I still found myself throwing my body in front of Trevor in a frantic attempt to stop his plan. When I caught Trevor in my grip I looked into his eyes, all I saw was irritation and pure rage blazing in his pupils.  I did my best to calm him, though I knew his intentions were only to protect me, I had never seen him so bothered.  Trevor is not one to fight, by any means.  The fact that he would put his reputation on the line and possibly even his criminal record, because Taylor would be one to press charges and he knew that, meant the world to me.  I don’t define a true friend as someone who would fight for their friend, but the fact that Trevor would, despite his standards, just because someone upset me is a true sign of friendship.        American writer and philosopher Elbert Hubbard said: “A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.” and I could not describe a friend any simpler or with more clarity than that.  Though Trevor and I have “known” each other for years, we have only been close since I took his brother to my senior prom in April of 2010.  We began hanging out more and discovering more about each other. Surprisingly, as we learned more about each other, we loved each other even more, and we yearned for more information.  We are both extremely friendly people and have a multitude of friends, but we both are, remarkably, very reserved people.  We both have this emotional blockade set up. In my life I have only had two people successfully knock that wall down, one was Trevor Aucoin.  I have completely let him into my feelings, into my mind and into my heart.  He loves me even though I am a hypochondriac, an extremely paranoid person, and even though I wear my heart on my sleeve.  I am elated to have him in my life to protect and love me.  I just hope that I will always have John Trevor Aucoin as my best friend, and his sweatshirt to protect me when he isn’t right beside me. I know his love will never weather and his sweatshirt will never lose its seemingly mystical comforting powers.