Some Things Never Change

I've had a bundle of friendship encounters lately! You may have read about my meeting with blog buddy Rosemary in an earlier post.

My wonderful book club met Wednesday and again, I was surrounded by friends. (We read "Look Me In the Eye," by John Elder Robison -- a wonderful book about living with Asperger's. You can read my take on Chopsticks and String.)

Then there was Suzanne's visit.

Suzanne is one of my oldest (or maybe I should say "longest-running") friends -- 40-something years! We met in those golden days of high school when we shared a passion for drama, acting in a number of plays and musicals together in high school.

I was her maid of honor when she married a fellow named David eons ago. Suzanne, being the movie fan she is, was married in an old movie theatre and her reception on the Queen Mary in Long Beach was wonderful. I later enjoyed visits to their home in Hollywood and then Las Vegas when they worked in the film industry.

(Old-time recollections -- going to LA and finding O.J.'s house and the Nicole Simpson house... of course, when she lived in NYC, we went past where Norman Mailer was shot and where John Barrymore died. We share some odd interests in common, which does baffle Rick.)

Fifteen years ago this past New Year's, Suzanne and David came to visit Lansing. We went to dinner with a fellow I was dating -- and it was a painfully awkward, since this fellow didn't talk much and really, I'm not sure what any of us had in common. The following day, I invited my neighbor over to watch the Rose Bowl with us. (Suzanne was a Northwestern graduate and the neighbor had lived in Evanston).

They loved him. "Why in the world aren't you interested in this guy, instead of the other," Suzanne said, and David agreed.

Good friends know when to keep their mouths shut about whom you date. Really good friends know when they need to express themselves.

This is a picture of my neighbor Rick that New Year's Day. A few months later, he and I moved from friends to more and we've never looked back. Thank you, Suzanne!

Over the years we have shared a passion for books, yarn, England, theatre, movies, shopping (for any of the above) ...

And a love of all things cat.

Suzanne has since remarried and found her soul mate in Jim, a man who loves (or at least understands) old theatres and movies like she does. (Although I don't know if they can ever understand our breaking into old theatres in Boston undergoing renovation to take pictures. Or for that matter, the original Flamingo in Vegas, because it was Bugsy's place.)

I think Jim and Rick are a little baffled by our interests. But they deal with them gracefully! We appreciate that, and both feel lucky we are exactly where we are with the men we are with.

We relish our visits to Canada and Suzanne's visits to Lansing -- most recently, last week!

There are hugs and pizza. We catch up between comments about the Golden Globes, give treats to the Gypsy, and laugh.

We enjoy Margaritas and Mexican food and Suzanne's and my favorite Mexican restaurant in town -- it's not Rick's fave, but he's a grand sport! We celebrate belated Christmas, talk knitting, old friends, good times. More cat treats.

We say our farewells as I leave for work the next day. I know Rick and I will soon be looking at the Stratford schedule, and pretty soon we'll cross the border to visit Suzanne and Jim. And it will be good. Because really, isn't that what friendship is all about?