Friendship

Yesterday I almost fell down two flights of very steep stone stairs in my eagerness to open the front door, squeal in high pitched delight, and jump on a girl with wild curly hair.

The darkened street was filled with shrieks, there was jumping up and down, and the taxi driver who dropped her off might have stared at us with a completely slackened jaw, cursing whoever let such insanity into his beloved country.

That is right.

Meaghen has arrived.

She is the first friend I have seen in just over three months. I have made friends of course - but this is a FRIEND. The kind of friend who knows ridiculous stories about me, like when we made a pit stop at the ocean at midnight. I decided I had to go in the water right at that very moment, and so stripped down to my underwear. Only to have a lifeguard spotlight beamed on me.

I guess you now know that story too.

She is the kind of friend who has seen mascara running down my face as I struggle between hysterical laughter and desperate tears.

She is the kind of friend who has let me see her in the throes of an allergic reaction which made her eyes swell shut and made her lips look as if they had been pumped with a vat of collagen.

I might have laughed hysterically.

But I did not reject her, in spite of her profound ugliness.

I'm loyal that way.

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The other part of our trio is not here - unfortunately she has met a boy which, for some reason, means that she wants to be around him a lot.

What is up with THAT?

Boys. They get in the way of everything.

Thanks for the rejection MICHELLE.

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The three of us have no reservations about sharing our fears, no matter how absurd. This has turned out to be one of the best things about us.

"I saw this woman on the train today, and she was so gorgeous I stared at her for the whole train ride. Is that weird?"

"Why? Because she was a women? That happens to me all the time. Sometimes I wonder if I am a lesbian."

"......me too."

"Yeah. It used to worry me, but I've just come to the conclusion that there is a universal aspect to beauty that appeals to and attracts everyone, regardless of sex. So we are probably not lesbians. Plus we like guys too much. Like...Ryan Reynold's abs. They count as a separate entity all their own, right?"

"Ioan Grudffud. Michael Buble."

"Matt Bomer."

"Oh my GOSH Matt Bomer."

"Yeah. I don't think we are lesbians."

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The three of us, especially over the past couple of years, have marveled quite frequently at how our friendship has been one of the greatest growing experiences of our lives.

We have no qualms about informing each other when one of us is really screwing up and needs to shape up.

Our friendship has shown us that you can be open and trusting and absolutely vulnerable, and have that treasured and respected.

It has taught us that you can let down you defenses completely, and not get battered in the process.

We have unquestionably become better, just for being in each other's lives.

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Michelle, you better be constantly logged into video chat so you can keep up with the awesomeness that is going to go down.