What Happened To...?
(AX): If you know the story of how Santiago and I met, then you've at least heard of Darryl. And if you were one of the select few that were friends with us at Sequoyah Jr. High, you'll definitely agree that he was one of the funniest people we knew. However, there was another side to Darryl that he didn't show many people. Because he and I were very close friends for a couple years, I got to know him personally. He was a very thoughtful, intelligent, and strong human being who came from a good family. We spent a lot of time discussing society, racism, culture, and the politics of that separate world called High School. People couldn't quite figure us out, because on the outside we appeared about as different as cold and hot. Darryl unfortunately felt the need to act a fool when he was around a large group of people, and although it was fun for a while, eventually it took its toll on his social life. As we all began to mature, Darryl grew uncomfortable around us. Since his antics became somewhat embarassing, he didn't quite know who to be anymore. By the time we got to be juniors, Darryl and I hardly spoke. We'd nod to each other in the hallway, sign one another's yearbooks with sentimental thoughts, but nothing else. His interest in sports landed him on the school baseball team (which might as well have put him on another planet from me), and that was the end.
(OG:) Despite being the force that drove Andrew and I apart in the 7th
grade, Darryl went on to be a cool guy. He was funny as hell, and he grew
a strange sense of respect for me as the years crawled into High School.
He was smart as a whip, and was very active in African American studies and
extracurricular causes. This earned him my respect as well, and we even
shared the stage in the Cross Keys choir (I AM NOT GAY...I AM NOT GAY...I
AM NOT GAY). It was a damn shame that he pulled what he did near the end
of his senior year. I still wonder just what caused it, and what was going
through his head when he did it.
STATUS:
(AX:) After leaving Cross Keys, I never saw Darryl again. I heard about the "knife incident" that caused him to stay back another year, but I'm not sure of the specifics. What can I say? We all make mistakes. Personally, I can think of a few summammabitches at CK that I would've liked to cut. I finally heard from Darryl in October of 2003, when he left a message on my machine. We talked for 2 hours, he's doing well and is working on his own hip-hop music. I plan on hanging out with him soon.
UPDATE: Despite making plans with Darryl several times, I was unable to get ahold of him when it came down to the day we were actually supposed to get together. I quit calling him around December, and received a message from him sometime after the new year apologizing for having lost my number. I didn't return the call and haven't heard anything as of 7/2004.
(OG:) The last time I saw Darryl was at my brother's graduation in
mid-1999. He seemed okay, and he acknowledged me as he passed by with a
smile. That's all I've got at this time.