Besides the ocean, it was hard to know if he really missed anything from home. Right after high school he’d just disappeared for a few months, and the man that came back just wasn’t the same one that left. Before he’d been at least marginally aware of the social graces expected of him, but he’d come back to us with what appeared to be a complete disregard for popular opinion. Not that he was loud or anything, oh no. He was willing to stick up for his rather odd views, some days it was hard to tell if he believed what he was saying, enjoyed playing devil’s advocate, or just liked being a constrain. While he’d be quick to raise a point about any topic, I could see the shy teenager still brooding inside him. You could always tell when you stuck a nerve with him because he’d go quiet and either leave or sulk for the rest of the evening.