Many thanks to Mare for her reply (maybe you are still reading, Mare) - and Blue Jay for asking her (as well for the title of the Sharpe Cut book).
I thought a while now about what you said - yes there are situations in life, when you are with a group of people, and think itīs the greatest bunch of people on earth :-) We meet with a group every year for Oktoberfest (everybody of the old friends, who moved away, comes back), and I think you know situations like that: every year we tell each other: from now on we will see us more often and visit each other in the various places and phone and mail and whatever. And boom - itīs Oktoberfest again :-)))
Everybody grows up, develops in another direction, finds new people, and the older you get, the more stressed you feel when you have too much appointments. Sometimes meeting "old friends" feels like a duty. And I think, Sean is not the type to fulfill duties out of politeness. If he doesnt want, he doesnt want. Basta.
But on the other hand: I go once a year to Oktoberfest to meet them all and love it. We all go to events like that and it IS lovely - itīs as well a warm comfy feeling to meet people from your past with whom you have been close and share so many things. So I canīt understand why he isnt keeping a loose contact - I mean - they really shared a LOT! As Daragh said in the commentaries: some people you donīt see for years, and when you meet them again, itīs like you left each other 1 minute ago. And everybody should "nurse" contacts like that - at least a bit.
So I guess that is it about Patricks humor: his way to complain that the other guy is making no efforts at all :-)))
I like the way he does it!
Soulmate
