Chuck was an ugly old man. He was my friend for over two decades. He possessed more than his fair share of intelligence but was not adept when it came to the way of the world and people. He could not hold a regular job, it made him feel trapped. Since he studied hard independently, reading tall stacks of computer and physics books, he became an advanced computer and electrical engineer. He had easily marketable skills and appeared at the front doors of many businesses and was most often hired. He knew how to talk a technical language. Usually, prospective employers believed it was they who were getting a great bargain. But once he received a $20 bill, he stuffed it in his shirt and wasn't heard from for months or more if ever. 

Chuck was tall and rangy. He had thinning ginger hair and a devil's beard. There was barely a hint of color in his blue irises. His nose was large and prominent and looked as though it had been broken several times. And his teeth were so badly broken and discolored he looked like a camel. He proclaimed to be polygamous. This annoyed me. Chuck loved women. Women and money. He gave all his money to the women in his life. Oddly enough, Chuck got all the girls. It wasn't his appearance but his intellect that attracted them.

He lived in a disabled 1985 Fiat for a long time, parked in the lot at a friend's business. After that he managed to get a room in a factory, where there was a desk full of his software and papers, an out-of-date computer, and a mattress on the floor in the corner. He had no refrigerator or running water. Once I discovered that a girl moved in with him who had the same last name as his. After some time, she was pregnant. This was not her first child. The first three were taken away by Child Protection. Sam spent an hour in the hospital delivering her baby and was quickly home at their makeshift abode. She slept with the baby on the mattress with her, and the babe would take care of its business and mess up the bed terribly. Sam would wring out any sheets or blankets and reuse them. She once wore a pair of pants that someone had given her for six weeks then threw them in the trash. People said she was uncivilized and raised by wolves. When the baby cried, Sam would turn the music on the radio way up to drown it out. It wasn't long before Child Protection greedily snatched this one away. After that, I learned that Samantha had yet another one. Child Protection took that one away also. They wasted no time.

After writing bad checks to come up with his meal ticket, someone finally became angry enough to have Chuck put in jail. He kept telling me to call a bail bondsman and get him out. This was not possible for me to do. I actually called on one occasion, but I did not meet the requirement of holding a 40-hour week job. Besides, I thought, he promised to "get me sprung" from the nuthouse many times, and this was empty talk.

In jail, Chuck was urged to join a gang. He agreed. As a gang member, he received a quart of coffee and two packs of cigarettes a day. Chuck was chuckling because it was such a good deal. He never participated in any fights or drug activities, all he had to do was accept the goods. It seemed to me that he wasn't doing too badly, but I know how badly a person wants to get out.

Chuck managed to get a car the year I last saw him. He was cruising around looking for something to do. He spotted a number of beautiful young women. Chuck attempted to speak with them but was unsuccessful. Later that day a report came on the news about an "odd looking older man harassing female high school students at Kenmore West High School." I had no doubt Chuck had no idea what he was doing or how old the girls were. But the police never tracked him down. People were laughing at Chuck.

Last I knew of the man, he fled up to Rhode Island to be with a family of Cambodian women. He had mailed an envelope full of $300 cash to himself at their address. When he arrived, one of the girls yelled at him. "Why you send you money here!! I did not say you could do dat! Why you do? I angry!!!" Chuck was taking a beating. He told the woman that she could keep the money, and the verbiage ended. I learned that the young children, the 6 and 8-year-olds would often say to him, "Give me money."

Chuck ripped me off on a laptop deal. I was upset about this but should have known what to expect from Chuck. I stopped talking to him for a long time. Then when I began to look for him to see if he was okay, he wasn't around. His phone number no longer worked. His email address was gone. I know this would not be the case if he was still alive. Chuck's life revolved around his email address.

I have many pleasant memories of Chuck. More than I can say.