I like you just the way you are.

Here’s a true story.

One time my friend, Darryl was going out with this mysterious girl. He wouldn’t tell my brother or me much about her except that she had a lot of energy and was a free spirit. This was in sharp contrast to Darryl who was kind of a stick in the mud. He stopped hanging around the boys and went out exclusively with Loni. This went on for months and every now and then we would hear word that they did these wild things like Parachute Jumping or they played hookie from work for two weeks and drove to New Mexico. They were inseparable.

Darryl was turning into a new man. His confidence level went up and he threw away all of his 1970 Disco clothes and bought a new wardrobe. Everything seemed so great for them; we thought for sure that they were going to get married.

Of course, life always throws a curve.

After 9 months of going out, Loni disappeared from his life. Darryl had no idea where she was or what had happened to her. He panicked and sought refuge with his long lost buddies, Nukie and Wakanuki.

We tried to help, but we didn’t have a clue what to do. So, we did the next best thing. Get drunk with him and let him slobber all over the bar as we threw darts and played pool.

A few days later, Loni showed up again. She explained to Darryl that she knew that things were getting very serious and it was time to take care of her prescription drug problem before they thought of getting married. She went to a clinic to get cleaned out.

Darryl never knew she was on drugs, but was happy to have her back in his life. After a few days, he started to notice that Loni wasn’t the same old Loni that he knew and loved. She was kind of lifeless and dull. Loni, on the other hand, never felt better. She could focus on her life and felt in control for the first time.

Needless to say, Darryl and Loni broke up a week after she got out of the clinic and Darryl got married to a former stripper.