Jeff was the first. We met at an after-school program. Half an hour into it, he told me, “We’re gonna be friends,” an...

Jeff was the first. We met at an after-school program. Half an hour into it, he told me, “We’re gonna be friends,” and he was right. Jeff was charming and had a way of making you feel like you were the coolest kid around. I wasn’t, but that’s how I felt around him. Jeff introduced me to Tony. Tony is on the short list of the funniest people I’ve ever known. He was quick-witted, in the same way Usain Bolt is quick at running. He’d have us howling with laughter one moment, and a moment later we’d be speechless, contemplating a shockingly insightful observation. I’ve known few people who saw and understood as much of the world around him as Tony did. Tony introduced me to Chad. We quickly became best friends. Chad was somehow funnier and quicker to laugh than Tony. He eventually ended up with a successful nightclub comedy tour to prove it. Chad was not the most educated person I’ve known, mainly because other things caught his attention. He could’ve been a rocket scientist, or surely a…