The Buddy System

Reading Robert Parker's SPENSER novels has been pretty fun. Spenser is one of the best detective heroes in fiction, period.

One of the great things about Spenser is his buddy, Hawk. Whenever Spenser is in need of a heavy hitter, Hawk comes through. Sometimes Spenser asks, but most of the time Hawk is just there when needed. He doesn't have to be asked.

It's never stated explicitly, but Hawk is probably a professional killer himself. Everyone in the underworld seems to know him, and grants him a great deal of respect. He's phenomenal with weapons and unarmed combat. He vanishes for weeks at an end, and comes back from various locations around the world. It's never mentioned exactly what he was doing.

In one of Spenser's adventures, he's shot by a professional assassin and almost killed. The recovery period is long, almost a year. During that time, Hawk pretty much never leaves his side. He pushes him physically and mentally to recover. He stands guard. He provides a shoulder to lean on and to cry on when necessary.

Humans can fairly be judged by the company they keep, I think. I don't think much of a person who doesn't have at least one good friend that will ride to his or her rescue. Like Hawk.

I've been fortunate in my life to come across a couple of people like that. They've saved my bacon on more than one occassion. I don't ask them; they're just there with no questions asked. No matter the cause. I can trust them with my life, or the life of my family. There's not much in this physical world that I have faith in. However, I have absolute faith in these friends of mine. Why? Because they've come through before.

That provides a certain degree of comfort, if you know that you've got somebody watching your back. Somebody that offers their house to you if you're about to get kicked out of yours. Somebody that offers money with no hope of getting paid back anytime this decade. Somebody that shows up at your house when they hear your family member is in the hospital. All without being asked.

Think about it. When you've got people like that on your side, the world is pretty much your oyster. Failure, where is thy sting? What's the worst that can happen to you when you've got somebody like that backing your play? A large part of who I am today, I owe to my friends. They've given me the courage to try things that I wouldn't have normally have done. They've been a heck of a safety net.

In one of the more recent novels, Spenser got the chance to return the favor when Hawk got shot.

I don't think I've been a tenth as good a friend as what my friends have been to me, over the years. The problem is they don't seem to screw up as badly as what I do. In that light, it's a wonder they put up with me at all. I hope that, should the occassion arise, that I can be there for them as they've been there for me. I hope that I can be their anchor, as they've been mine.

Spenser and Hawk understand this sort of thing.