Outtakes 287

Friends

By Cait Collins

I’ve been blessed to have good role models in my life. I was fifteen when we moved to Amarillo and soon found friends among the youth group at our church. Along with the teens came an assortment of parents who soon became very special to my sisters and me. We lost my dad too soon. I was about to graduate college, three sisters were married, and two were minors. It was a difficult time for all of us, especially for my two youngest sisters. But one of my parents’ friends always stepped in to fill the void. When I married, Joe gave me away. Floyd walked at least one girl down the aisle. Tom supported and advised us in making critical decisions. Glen, bless him, still treats all of us like his own. They were all with us when we lost mom.

I think subconsciously I developed Chris Whitely from my memories of these men. In Three x Three, Chris is the father of Creed who suffers from amnesia. While his primary concern is helping his son, he opens his heart to the kids Creed grew up with. He’s doesn’t interfere in their lives, but will step in to listen, hold a hand, or provide the wisdom that is only gained from surviving difficult times. While he is a minor character, he plays a role in uncovering the events that culminated in a Good Friday disaster. Still, he’s a good man. The kind of man we all wish we had in our lives.