Hey Friend!

Here's somethign that I just can't stand. When you're walking down the street, these random people, sometimes store people, other times just bored people, will shout out after you've already walked by 'Hey Friend!' as they try to get your attention. 'Hello... hello,' they continue to holler as you ignore them and walk on by.

My issue with this is that, number one, you're talking to my back. Why wait till I walk by. Why not say 'hello' to my face. Only shady people talk behind someone's back. And I've got places to go, things to paint, so I don't want to have to turn around and say 'what do you want?' When most of the time, all they want is for you to spend your money in thier shop or to ask you the same mundane questions: What's your name, what's your country, how much money do you make a month.

The second issue is that the person is not really my friend. I don't even know them. I pick and choose my friends carefully. I don't just befriend anyone. I'm nice to everyone, but my friends are in a different category. My friends I can see everyday for a year, and then not show up for two years and when I return they will welcome me as if no time passed at all. That's the beauty of friendship.

I think Indians just like throwing the word 'friend' around cause it's familiar and friendly. In the states people throw around the word 'brother.' What's up Bro? What's going on brother? etc etc. And that's just as annoying.

I've fallen into that trap at times before, but I'm really lying. I know in the world we live in we are all 'brothers and sisters' in one sense or another, but I only have one brother. It might be different if you were raised in a family that had four siblings or more, but in mine there were two of us. So the bond is a little different. To put someone else in the same category as my brother is to lessen the status that my brother holds in my eyes.

So the next time some clown calls out to you, 'Hey friend, come into my shop and spend your money' Turn around and punch him in the face, knock his stack of postcards in the dirty gutter and ask him if he's still your friend. And the next time someone says 'Hey bro.' Ask him to give you two thousand dollars and you'll quickly find out who you're real brothers are.