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It was an August funeral. And that means hot and humid, with mosquitoes the size of basketballs. I flew into Milwaukee to meet my buddy Jeff, so we could drive to Minneapolis together. We wanted to be there for Brett – his mom had died years ago, and now his dad – heart attack, only 52. Jeff was driving through corn-country in the rolling hills of central Wisconsin, and I was looking out the window. Although close friends, we had taken very different paths out of college. Jeff went corporate. I moved to Hollywood to "become a screenwriter." At some point during the…

Friends are supporting characters with whom your hero shares a mutual bond of affection, sometimes stemming through shared history, family relations, or romance.