Jake Segotta

This picture of Jake says a lot. He lives in one of the most dense areas of the nation surrounded by millions of people and yet he is one lonely guy.

He grew up next door to me and was my neighbor until I left on my mission. When I got a car, I gave him a ride to school every day.

One morning we got to school early. My car was running on fumes, so we decided to try and make it to the gas station to put loose change toward some fuel. My car ran out of gas at the busiest intersection near Granada High School at the corner of Wall Street and Stanley Boulevard.

We left the car in heavy traffic and walked quickly to the AM/PM gas station near Boot Hill. I had no gas can, so we filled up 32-ounce Big Gulp cups with gas and headed back to my car. The cups were falling apart by the time we reached the car. Somehow we poured the gas from the deteriorating cups into my tank. I'm sure we went the rest of the day smelling like gas, or maybe that was an excuse for us not to go to class that day. I really don't remember.

I lived next door to Jake for so long that I know things about him that most people don't. Like I know when his mother used to get mad at him she called him Jason Carl, and he used to skid so much on his bike that he would wear its tires out.

Emerald Street was like a community within a community. A kid never needed to leave the block for companionship or adventure. I believe he is now the only one who grew up on the block that is still there.

He now has his own business and owns the home he grew up in.

When Brandy and I had been married about six months I got a call at work from Jake telling me that his mother had died. It was a shock to me. I hadn't talked to him in a few years and was surprised he reached out to me. I didn't realize it at the time but when his mother died he lost his best friend.

Jake and I have continued to communicate with each other and build on the friendship we started as children.

His greatest desire is to have a wife for companionship, yet he has been unable to find one, I guess, because the women he admires most are usually spoken for. And when the best network a person has forged centers around a single street it can make it complicated to meet people -- especially those of the opposite sex -- the street was dominated by testosterone.

What Jake needs is a single female about his age to move to his street. When she observed his beautiful yard, work ethic and how well he treats people, she would find him very desirable.

With the way home prices are dropping in California, a single person may be able to afford a home in that neighborhood soon.

Until then, I'm sure he'll keep defining how the challenges in his life shape him and make him stronger rather than wallow in pity and self doubt.