After attempting to carve out time and failing for almost two weeks, Michelle and I finally got together. We met for lunch at a little café near the hospital. Though we touch base every few days, it had been weeks since we’d seen one another. She, Mark, and their daughter had recently returned from a trip to Minnesota where they had attended the funeral of Michelle’s favorite aunt. I needed to see for myself how my best friend was holding up, and I gave her an extra-long embrace before we found a table among the lunchtime crowd.
Michelle has helped me through some difficult times. She’s been my closest confidant almost since grad school and definitely since Grandma Irene’s death. It’s important to me that I’m just as good a friend to her as she’s always been to me. She’s a strong lady— perceptive, sensitive, and very funny.
We spent so much time laughing that we tried the patience of our waitress, who attempted to take our order more than a few times. We were only saved from ourselves by the tight schedules we keep. After a few hurried bites of quiche and salad we made plans to meet at the Met later in the week. We share a love of opera, and the brand-new production of The Marriage of Figaro was featured this month. Another opportunity to share time with my friend!
Image courtesy of Apolonia at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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