But someone I have never really written about, or talked up, who was hugely influential in my life, is a young man who is (in)famous to all who know him. His name is Jake.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was an awkward teenager. No huge surprise there. It's shocking, after the fact, to talk to people about high school. It's like everyone was in their own little room, having horrible experimental procedures done on them, and you had no idea, because you were being likewise tormented in a room right across the hall. Everyone, apparently, had high school rough. Everyone felt awkward, and alone, tormented and terrified. Those people who teased you? They had it rough. Those people who judged you, and talked about you behind your back? Yeah, they probably had someone doing the same to them. There is no logic to place upon the boundaries of high school dramatics. The only thing one can say about such a place is that it perfectly represents how monkeys came to be humans - through a slow agonizing process of "us versus them." In-Group versus Out-Group. The vast majority of us are glad that it's over, and the way I see it, you can never truly comfort people who are down unless you've been down yourself. So, voila, having a shitty high school experience can, in the end, be useful, and meaningful, if not the most pleasant set of memories to dwell upon.
Anyway, I digress. Jacob wasn't like that. In fact, Jacob was so unlike that, he was cool. Jacob was friends with everyone, exclusive with no one. A heart breaker, yet an irreplaceable friend, he was handsome and charming, funny and reckless. Jacob was a masterful storyteller. He would draw people in like bees to honey, telling hilarious stories about everyday experiences so well, it was like watching the scenes unfold before your very eyes. I suppose, if you have to have an idol, at least choose one who's good-natured and charming enough to make anyone, anywhere, at any time, in any situation, like him.
Jake was (and is) a character. Charismatic and reckless, he was the embodiment of a free spirit - unfettered, willing to risk life and limb to film some crazy hand-made movie about a pirate or a giant tapeworm (yes, we did that). He has driven a 1960's VW Beetle since I met him. I used to sit in terror while we drove down the highway in it, sure that at any moment, it would fall apart into a thousand pieces, with my sad, mangled body among the wreckage. He once told a story of a road trip in which he and the car plummeted over the side of a mountain in West Virginia, only to leave him completely unscathed, and a ruinous trail of pizza boxes, swords, guns, knives, Star Wars, pirate and polka band outfits strewn down the mountain behind him.
Yes, Jake has a polka band. In fact, the Chardon High School Polka Band, as they used to be known (they are now just the Chardon Polka Band) was one of my saving graces in high school. Being a "groupie" of a high school polka band is just one step away from complete social annihilation, according to some. But Jake made it cool. Jacob gathered misfits to him, and gave them a home. If high school is the land of the In-Group versus the Out-Group, Jacob defied all odds and made a No-Group, a collection of individuals such as the world had never seen before. Aspiring scientists, guitar players, English-majors, lawyers, artists and opera singers found their home in the "Polka" brew.
It is an odd and interesting fact that most brilliant, clever, zany, outgoing, and world-altering people were misfits. In fact, I imagine it was their inability to fit in that made them thirst so much for the alteration of the world. Some of us were chubby. Some of us were gangly, and awkward, slightly out of touch with the sarcastic and scathing humor that paints the walls of most high schools. All of us loved Jacob. He gave us somewhere to hang out, and he made being geeky kind of...cool. My sophomore year, we all dressed up as Star Wars characters, and supported Jake as he ran for Homecoming King. I don't know exactly what happened that night, but Jacob won, much to the shock (and some horror) of everyone there. Even though there were a lot of nasty attitudes, the win was wonderful. Unfortunately, being friends with someone who is cool doesn't always translate to you being free from judgement or petty comments. But being friends with Jake did give me hope, and, sometimes, that's all you need. Jake brought together group of friends who were constant, who teased me like a little sister, but supported me through every trial and tribulation with humor, wisdom, and the occasional slice of cold pizza. Those people got me through high school, and out into Real Life.
Now that I'm out here, I can look back and be really, truly grateful for Jake's intervention in my life. From a bible study at Taco Bell, to concerts with the Polka Band, I discovered a life worth living. Talented, charming, genuine, and just a tad bit more responsible than he was back then, I heartily look forward to what else Jake will bring to the world. Even if it is as small as helping one young lady through high school, I can assure you, it's a mighty kind of gift.
Jacob, we were never really sure that you were going to grow up, but you seem to be doing alright, and I, for one, am very happy for you. I love that the Polka Band has gigs everywhere, all the time, I love the new CD, and most of all, I love the fact that you decided to stick with something you love. You are making it work. I'm proud of you, and I'm proud to call you my friend (nice shirt, by the way).
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