The last 24 hours have been bizarre.

Yesterday, I planned a traditional Oktoberfest feast for 8 of my oldest friends at an authentic German restaurant in my neighborhood.

As the e-mails flew, my best guy friend, who you may also remember from here invited me over for dinner.

I've known him for 10 years. I'm the executor of his estate, in the event that he dies. Yet, I never knew he cooked.

Let's face it, he's a trader. He makes a ton of cash and works in the financial center - these guys don't cook. They make a ton of coin, they drink and they party.

It's not the lifestyle I subscribe to nor something I ever want for myself, but he's been my friend since I've been 18 and I knew he was destined for something like this and I accept it. I am happy for him. And since Sept. 11th, I am even happier to have him alive.

He asked me come over - he need decorating advice for his new apartment. I agreed since I had no plans and it was on my way home.

We discussed this throughout the day, mainly because I could not believe he was going to actually cook something.

Net net, I got out of work late and called him to confirm his new address. He didn't answer, so I left two messages.

I assumed he'd turned his cell off because he was cooking and I don't have his new land line.

I headed over to his apt., first stopping for a bottle of wine, even though he told me when we spoke that he was going to pick some up.

I arrived at his apt. and had the doorman call up. He wasn't there. The doorman called again.

Thinking that he was running out for emergency ingredients, I said I would wait outside, and smoke a cigarette. Twenty minutes later, he's still not home.

Now, this is the guy who insisted on buying me a cell phone because I wasn't available to him per his preference; he couldn't track me down. Now I have one, and he's not using it. Just like a boy.

I get annoyed and call my roommate who's 3 blocks away and ask her what do. She says, "Stay put until I get to you and then we hit X for dinner, of course," naming a restaurant near our apt.

Smart girl. She shows up 10 minutes later and we head uptown. I am laughingly furious. Basically, I cannot believe I have been stood up by my best friend.

Before I leave, I write a note and leave it with my bottle of wine, with the overly apologetic doorman.

By the time I get home, I have decided my tactic: he's getting another call.

Remember, I left two messages before I went to his apt. I arrive home and there's a message from him - asking me where I am - he's waiting for me and dinner's ready.

Stupid boy. He doesn't think I went to the apt., he thinks I called before heading there.

I leave him a tirade. This is a tirade you can only leave people you've known forever. Along the lines of this:

"Where was I? I've been at your apartment for 20 minutes you inconsiderate jackass. Don't try to turn this around on me, I was THERE, dickhead. I cannot *believe* you. And you WONDER why you don't have a girlfriend when this is how you treat your FRIENDS?! What the FUCK? I don't even KNOW YOU. You know what? You are an embarrassment. You are an emarrassment to me, to your family, to our alma mater, to your business, to this city and to our COUNTRY. TO AMERICA. You make me sick."

Slam.

But I wasn't done yet. I called back. Oh yes. I did. The next message was this:

"You know what? I just want you to know - you are a big disappointment."

Click.

He called a bit later and even though I could hear the bar in the background he tried to play like he was home and that I was late. Bad move, but remember, he doesn't know for sure that I was there yet.

And then another message, "Hey, it's me, I guess I'll talk to you later." This message really pissed me off because it sounded like he was trying to turn the anger on me.

Then I get another message. This one is really drunk and it's "The dinner is ruined, thanks a lot."

My roommate and I actually laugh out loud at this, because it's such a bald-faced lie in drunkeness, that frankly, it's funny.

And then the last message comes. It's obviously after he gets home, and receives the note and wine. The full effect of his actions have settled in. He may have opened the wine because it sounds like a sentimental wine drunkeness. "Hi PG - it's me. I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..I....I...I...I don't know what I've done...I feel terrible...I...there was a young lady involved....I...so...sorry...name your price...I'll do anything to make it up to you....love you..."

I am crying laughing at this point because he's my best guy friend and he does crack me up but I refuse to give him the statisfaction of getting of the guilty hook.

I don't call him back.

This morning I woke up more annoyed than before. Who does he think he is? I was doing him a FAVOR by coming over and he's not there and moreover he TRIED TO PLAY IT OFF? F- that.

I get an e-mail around 8:30AM. It says, I'll make it up to you, name your price. I e-mail back and tell him not to make any promises he can't keep; he's a disappointment.

He e-mails again, and all it says is, "I am very sorry."

"Fair enough, that's all you can do," I tell him because it's the truth. That IS all he can do.

And then it begins. I get a dozen pink roses. With balloons. And, the clincher, a stuffed pink bunny rabbit.

I don't even like stuffed animals. But it made me laugh, because I knew he was on the phone with the florist ordering the flowers and asking, "but what else? what else do you have? Baby's breath - throw it in! Balloons? Throw them in! Stuffed animal? Yes!" Desparate. No creativity, just desperation. And sometimes, you have to appreciate the desperation.

The card says, "Just the beginning...of the forgiveness..." which makes me laugh because I know he is insane and he will go to no end to end this, but frankly, I want to see what he's got up his sleeve.

I told my friend the Hurricane about it and he groaned over IM because he knows.

"Flowers and balloons and stuffed animals for PG?!?" he says facetiously, I think. I get annoyed with him thinking he's calling me out for being too high-maintenience but even he surprises me and says, "he should have come in person."

I am so happy to be understood.

But in truth, I am laughing over the stuffed bunny. He sent me a stuffed pink bunny. That's funny. It was attached to the bouquet in a way that makes it look like it's hopping through the flowers, and that kills me.

So tonight. He shows up to the dinner. He's late and he can't make contact with me. The table fills and eventually we can laugh about it and I tell the whole story - even to his twin brother and wife - and we all laugh about pink roses and stuffed pink bunnies. A. is annoyed because he wanted yellow roses and a bear. I tell him him he's still not off the hook.

But the truth is he's forgiven, because he's my best guy friend and he's here when his two best friends are dead because of terrorists and he was so freaked at his bad behavior that he thought enough to send a stuffed pink bunny.

Frankly, he had me at the bunny. But don't let him know that, okay? That's between me and you. I don't need these people knowing I'm going soft.

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