RICHARD WHEELER

Where else could I start but with him? He was probably the best friend I had in high school. Yet he and I were only friends for about 21 months. But man, those were some interesting months.

I'll have much more on him later on. But he'll no doubt get mentioned quite often. So an introduction is in order.

Richard and I became best friends at the beginning of our sophomore year. Prior to that we each had had a mutal best friend In Jeff Messerman. But Jeff (who I will from this point refer to as "Meff") had moved in the summer of 1986. So he was no longer around. So naturally, we drifted to each other. Little did I know that during our freshman year (according to Meff) Richard despised me, seemingly out of jealousy that I was taking Meff's time away from him, as Meff and I became a lot closer. But with Meff gone, and with the two of us sharing many common (some would say warped) interests, we became fast friends. And Meff (who had moved to a Milwaukee suburb) came up to visit all the time, as his grandparents still lived in Two Rivers. He also had regular orthodontist appointments in Manitowoc. When Meff was in town, we were all a happy threesome (in a non-sexual way!)

For our sophomore and junior years, Richard and I were somewhat tied to the hip. But we had a falling out at the end of our junior year (which I'll get to at some point) and sort of drifted apart once summer started. During our senior year, we were never enemies. But we weren't friends either. We just coexisted.

I haven't spoken to Richard since June, 1988. But Meff was actually contacted by Richard around 1994. They stayed in touch for about a month or so. And that was it. Not a peep has been heard from him since.

After high school, I had a job working at T&R Video in Two Rivers. I ran into nearly everyone I'd gone to school with. But Richard never popped in. From time to time his mom did though. The last I knew about him, he was living in Los Angeles. For a time, he actually had a job writing reviews for porno movies. Apparently he even had the opportunity to interview the actors and actresses. Cool gig! His mom then mentioned that he had found a new job selling wine. I think she mentioned that he was living with his girlfriend as well.

I recently put a bio on CLASSMATES.COM. I noticed that Richard had signed on, and still had an active E-mail address with them. So I sent him a very brief message. As of today, he has not read it. Which means he probably rarely checks the E-mail address he has with them. But if he responds, I'll let you know.