The road

The road was indeed short.  In fact it was just across the street to Al's house.
He had just called and gave me hell for everything about me and my house.  I was snooty, my yard needed care, my kids were noisy and yes, my wife was nosy.  Doesn't sound like much of a friend, does it? 

But, in fact, Al and I were old friends.  We grew up across the street from each other in the same houses we now lived in.  We went to high school and college together and we even worked for the same company.  That was the problem.  He had been promoted and was my boss.  Don't get me wrong.  I wasn't jealous. I was happy for him.  He worked hard and he deserved it.

But now he was laid up recovering from Cancer and I had not been there to see him.  I had not seen him since he was promoted.  It was really my problem.  I couldn't be friends with him anymore because he was my boss and I would rot in hell before I would ever be accused of brown nosing the boss.

"Ya know", he had said, "It's not  to far over here for you that you couldn't drop in once in awhile to see a friend."  I just said, "Al, I can't." and hung up. 

I didn't tell him that the road to a friend's house is never far but there is no road to the boss's house.