Best Friends

Cait and I are making a batch of lentil soup together. She asks her signature question, “Mom, what should we talk about?”

Concentrating on chopping veggies, I answer, “I don’t know, Sweetie. What do you want to talk about?”

Cait loves hearing about my past, so I’m not surprised by her request.

“How about if you tell me again how you met Ceres?”

Ceres is my best friend.

“Okay,” I say, handing her the lentils to pick through and wash. “Ceres and I were both the new kids in 4th grade. And since we both had naturally curly hair, we decided that was reason enough to become fast friends. We traded one shoe, so we each were wearing one of our own and one of the other, and that sealed the deal. We’ve stayed best friends through all the decades since.”

“How did you fix it so that you could still live near each other all the way up here?”

We both originally come from another state.

“That was just luck, Honey. I moved up here first for my work, and then Ceres’ husband found his work up here a year or two later. So we’ve only ever not lived close to each other for a few years. It’s been nice.”

“Yeah, Sarah and I talk about staying best friends until we’re 90.”

In some ways, Cait is a creature of habit. She likes that she’s lived in the same house since she’s been born. She likes that she’s had the same best friend for several years now. She likes that I have a friend I’ve known forever. It brings her comfort.

“That would be great if it works out that way. But life changes, Honey, and there are best friends to be had wherever you go…”

“I know. But isn’t it fun that you and Ceres are still together and your daughters are good friends too?”

Ceres has a daughter several years older than Cait; they consider each other the sister they never had.

“I love that you love Mia, because I love Mia. And it makes it nice for us all to want to hang out together. But…”

“I know, I know. I just like thinking about having the same friends for a long time.”

I smile and let her hold on to that thought.

“Mom, I just thought. I have one best friend that I’ll know forever.”

“Yeah? Who’s that?”

“You.”

7 thoughts on “Best Friends”

  1. I’m sure you will always be best friends.

    I got kind of stupid when my daughter reached her early teen years, but I’ve gotten smarter every year since then.

  2. “Tell me one thing about your day” is a great conversation starter. I think I’ll give that a whirl too.

    And how nice that your daughter thinks to ask about your day too!

  3. That is so sweet. I love that your daughter wants you to be her best friend forever. I’ve had the same best friend since fourth grade too, and it’s such a rarity. We are lucky people.

  4. This made me smile. My conversation signal with my oldest daughter always starts with a “Tell me one thing about your day” opener, either by her or me.

  5. “I know, I know. I just like thinking about having the same friends for a long time.”

    I smile and let her hold on to that thought.

    I’m glad that you let her keep her dream at the end.

    It’s beautiful reading your conversations with Cait, Karen. I smiled at the opening – even now, Beth will sometimes climb on to a chair nearby and say, “Want to have a cond-e-vation?” Usually she wants it to be about Underground Ernie and Millie, her TV characters du jour, but it’s a start!

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