David asked if I had written anything on here lately and I said I hadn't but I told him Philip was next in order and he said, " Just write that he died and that's all. " David hated Philip more than anyone he ever met or probably will ever meet in his life. But actually I deserve the hate, not Philip. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Philip was also a significant part of my story and I refuse to deny his existence by not telling his story.
I met him while I was working as a server at the End Zone. He was a cook there. I remember he started working there after I did. I liked to look at him. But he was always talking about his girlfriend so I left him alone. We weren't even friends while I worked there. Like I didn't talk to him at all. I really had no reason to. I know I had a reputation while I was there. People knew what I was up to. I was meeting guys after work on a regular basis. One night a guy flaked on me. Boy did I hate that! I was sitting outside waiting and Philip came out for a cigarette and I said something about how I was supposed to meet someone and they stood me up. I feel like I got fired not long after that. I failed a drug test. Can you believe that? I was the only person NOT on drugs there and I was accused of failing due to barbiturates. Can you imagine? Barbiturates! Who ever abuses those? They just wanted me out.
Fast forward a little and I am swiping through Tinder and Philip was on there. My heart was racing, Aha finally my chance! But did he swipe right on me? He did! I love when things go my way. We stated talking right away. He told me about how everyone talked about me getting fired. I guess I made some stupid comment when I was fired like" Guess I'm fired so bye!" He said that he failed his drug test for weed and the boss just told him not at work or some nonsense. Lots of people failed. I was the only onw fired. Whatever End Zone. You suck. We talked about everything, he would get tired of texting and call me and we would talk and talk. I swear we never ran out of stuff to say. He was really nice and comfortable to talk to.
Anyway moving on to April 18 2018, I invited him over during the day( of course). I picked him up at his house and brought him over and we talked for like two hours. I met plenty of guys but I really enjoyed hanging out with Philip. After a couple hours he offers to give me a massage so we go to the bedroom. He gives me a back massage and I don't remember too much about it but we ended up naked as you could assume. Anyway, afterward he sits up against the headboard and asks me to hand him his energy drink that was on the dresser. Just then I hear the front door open. We had an alarm that wasn't hooked up so the door would beep twice when it was opened. I heard the beeps and I ran across the room to shut the door and hold it closed. I start yelling at Philip to go out the window and he's trying to put his pants and shoes on and open the window. He's yelling " It won't open!" Finally he gets the window open as soon as David bursts through the bedroom door I was up against. The door smacked me in the head leaving a huge red bump. David grabs his sword and jumps out the window after Philip. He chases him down the road yelling about him coming over to his house to fuck his wife.
At this point I lock myself in the bathroom and delete all of Philip's info off my phone. And hurriedly put on some clothes. Philip ended up down the road at a neighbors house and David came back to me. Philip calls wanting his earbuds and his shirt. So Philip came back over and David threw his shirt and ran after him again and threw his stuff in the bushes. David comes back and starts yelling and he smacks me a couple times and pushes me into a wall and tries to strangle me on the bed. Philip ends up calling the police and they arrive and see the big bump on on my head and asked if I was okay. I fessed up because I was scared to death of David at this point. They arrested David and took him to jail. Meanwhile they took pictures of my injuries. I lost track of Philip. I thought that there was no way this guy would ever talk to me again.
Later that night I get a call from Philip. He wants to hang out. I'm like seriously? After all that happened? So Philip and I went out and he stayed at my house that night. It was a very stressful time in my life and I was glad to have someone to talk to about it. I laughed about how crazy it was and I told him he would never forget me after what happened. In the time that David was gone Philip stayed at my house a few nights. We went out to eat one evening. Another night we got a bottle of wine and went to the Pearl. Then we came to my house and drank wine and talked and watched cat videos on his phone. One morning after I got the kids to school we went out to the beach and hung out and he went swimming. Then we took a walk on the pier on the other side of Englewood. I remember him freaking out " Where are you taking me?!" He was always making me laugh. We honestly had a great time together. But we were constantly getting texts from David and other unknown people saying they were watching us. So we were always freaked out.
After a couple weeks I ended up fired from another job ( I guess I'm a lousy server) and I needed David to come back home. The only thing I was sad about was that I wouldn't be able to hang out with Philip anymore. I really liked the guy and he was fun. I tried to call him once and he was busy or something.
I still saw him out at the Pearl plenty of times and I would talk with him if I wasn't with David. On my birthday in June I bought him a shot and a beer and then when David arrived he disappeared around back of the building. I found out that David didn't recognize him so when I saw Philip out at places I never pointed him out. I told him this also so he didn't have to be freaked out when he saw David.
In the next year Philip ended up homeless and we would see him around the Pearl often. Sometimes he would be there in the middle of the day sleeping in a corner. At that point David figured out who he was. But I begged David to please leave him alone. And he did. In that period of time I wasn't talking to Philip anymore. I guess I wasn't sure if he would be annoyed if I did. So I left him alone. Though I worried about him all the time. Even after I moved to New Hampshire I worried about him. I thought maybe he developed PTSD from that day when David chased him. I always imagined him alone and homeless and I felt sad. It bothered me for years. After I moved I saw a Snapchat of him one day and then nothing ever again.
Aftermath: 2022- He liked one of my pics on Instagram and I said hi. We chatted all night while I was at work one night. He had been in jail for awhile in Englewood but he had moved to Orlando and was living with his mom. He was working out and he was eating healthy and he quit smoking and drinking and drugs. He had a job and he had plans. He thought I set him up the one day that David came home. I assured him that I didn't. I'm telling you, it was like years earlier we just talk and talk. He was a good guy and I was worried about him for so long. I was relieved that he was safe now. I didn't have to worry about him anymore. Philip talked about wanting me to move to Arizona with him. I never even knew he liked me that much honestly. Then one day he said he was homeless again. But stays at his moms sometimes. He said she was strict about money and he did meth a few times. Uh oh. Last I talked to him he was at his moms. He wished we could be together and he missed me. I told him I would talk to him the next night I worked which was Monday night. I sent him a message that night but I never heard from him again.
His mom send a message a week and a half later that Philip passed away on April 5.And that he was already gone on that Monday night I messaged him. She didn't want me to think he was ignoring me. I guess he was smoking meth again. That was the real reason he was homeless in Orlando.
I'm still feeling sad that he no longer exists. I think about him all the time and wish he wasn't gone. I selfishly think How could he leave me like this? So many things left to talk about. I read and reread our conversations and think about all the things I should have said. And I can't tell anyone how I feel because I really wasn't even supposed to be talking to him. And David doesn't care that he's gone so I suffer alone. Feeling sorrow for a person that played a significant part in my life. A person that I cared for. I just wish he was still alive. He was my friend and I miss him .But I have plenty of happy memories and I won't ever forget him.
I'll just keep it to myself.
