At this point in my adult life, I am all too familiar with the idea that I must tell those I love how I feel before the time gets passed us. Tell them everyday! We always did. Dina is packing up her clothing so we can leave this hospital today, trying on one shirt, asking if she'd fare better in a skirt or bell bottoms, and I am propped up on the hospital bed watching her. Flashback to the 70's, the 80's, the 90's and to this decade, replace this hospital blanket with a tapestry from Traprock Suite, a fancy head shop nestled between a New York deli and a stuffy stationers store, and we could be back 30 years. We have always played this way. It never took much for us to enjoy each other's company. And we have always let each other know how we feel about one another, since day 1. That is surely one of the precious pieces of the the friendship between Dina, Kaethe, Susanne and myself.
And so, as I ready myself to greet Susanne who is tag-teaming me here in London, and I swallow hard at the prospect of leaving Dina tomorrow, I reflect on just how lucky I am for some of what this horror has allowed me. How often do we get the opportunity to leave our adult lives, overgrown lawns, and sticky fingerprints to spend solid weeks with our best friends? Once plans are made for keeping work at bay and the house "set" while I am away, I step out of a cab and into a beautifully long stretch of time for falling asleep laughing, crying , holding, complaining, reminiscing.
My high school yearbook quote holds true even today: "We are one person, we are two alone, we are three together, we are four each other."
(I now, am finally a published author!)
Congratulations on being a published author, Allison! Your words gave me chills. Please give Dina a huge hug from me. And big hugs to you, too. ♥♥♥
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