Friends Will Be Friends

I got to the restaurant early and sat at a table for Suzy, Dina, Steve, and I. I was nervous about how things would go between the four of us but I reminded myself that the fact that the three of them agreed to meet me was a positive sign that we might be able to rekindle our friendship.

Suzy arrived first. She’d cut her hair into a Pixie cut and it looked really great on her. She looked around the restaurant and immediately smiled when she saw me wave at her.

“Faith, you look so great! I was so happy when you called!” She said giving me a hug.

I was relieved at how warm she was to me and happily accepted her hug.

“Your HAIR!” I said.

“Oh, yeah, I cut it a few months ago and I don’t think I’ll EVER go back to long again! It’s so easy and so edgy! VERY Miley Cyrus, too.”

We sat down and sipped our waters and caught up while we waited for Dina and Steve to arrive. Suzy and Dina have been working at the same paper since the news station paper went under. She’s still working as a gossip columnist and is dating Dennis, a sports reporter that worked at the news station paper with us. He works as a writer for a nightly sports show now.

“Dina! Steve! Over here!” Suzy waved at them as soon as they walked through the front door.

“Faith! How are you!?” Dina said sitting next to me.

Steve gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“You guys, I’m so sorry I haven’t been in touch.” I blurted out, “I don’t have a very good reason for ignoring the three of you for so long.”

“Oh, Faith, we know you’ve been dealing with a lot, Adam has been keeping us in the loop.” Steve said patting my hand.

“Yeah, after the paper went under, we heard all about the fire and Murphy and you getting a new job in theatre. We’re happy for you! We knew you’d get back in touch when you could.” Suzy said.

It was like a dream. I expected them to hate me but they were still the friends I’d always had and were so supportive. Throughout lunch we all got caught up.

Steve is working for a publicist as their assistant and he LOVES his job.

“I’ve always wanted to see that side of the entertainment industry and it’s just as magical and amazing as I always thought it would be! My boss is demanding but I’m happy. It’s my dream job.”

He and Tom are still going strong and are planning on moving in together in the next few months. And surprisingly, Steve is no longer a vegan! I noticed that when he ordered a veggie club sandwich.

“Economically, it just wasn’t feasible and I wasn’t getting the nutrition I needed, plus Tom kept trying to sneak cheese into the house and was terrible at hiding it in the fridge. So we’re both vegetarians now. It’s much easier.”

“Steve, I am so happy for you! Your job sounds so interesting.” I said.

It really did, he was working with some big names and huge companies. The connections he has are just unreal!

Dina is working with Suzy at a new paper and she’s been working as an assistant editor to the editor-in-chief. She did have some sad news to share.

“A few months after the paper went under, Mike was diagnosed with Lymphoma. He’s in remission now, though. But for awhile it was pretty touch-and-go and he had to go on leave from his pilot job.”

I felt awful. Dina had been through a lot and I had completely dumped her. I gave her a hug.

“I’m so sorry. I should have been there to help you.”

“Faith, it’s okay! It’s not like you weren’t dealing with your apartment burning down or anything! Besides, Mike is okay, now and his type of Lymphoma was one of the ‘good’ ones with high treatment success. He really is fine now. We all are!”

“Speaking of that fire…” Suzy said, “Did you see Adam’s exposé on it?”

“I did.” I said, “It was really shocking. I haven’t heard anything about it since then, though. It’s scary to think there’s an arsonist out there…and that they were IN my apartment.”

“Can you think of anyone who would have had access to it?” Steve asked.

“No. I mean, Zoey had a key but I think I’d know if she were starting fires in her free time. Maybe it was just random? Maybe they were just able to break into my apartment easier than someone else’s. I don’t know. I don’t like to think about it very much, it creeps me out. I think about that fire and I realize just how lucky I was. You know? I lost a lot of things, but I didn’t lose my life like some of my neighbors did and Murphy survived. I am so, so lucky.”

Suzy gave me another hug.

“I was glad to hear about you being reunited with that little furball. I know how much he means to you.”

“Thanks Suzy.”

Overall, it was a great lunch! We were there for hours talking as if nothing had changed. Suzy invited me to go shopping with her and Amber (Adam's new girlfriend) sometime and I can’t wait. 

"She's pretty awesome, Faith. She's a writer, too, and she works with Dina and me. She's sort of like an investigative consumer reporter. So she looks into, like, cleaning products and stuff to see if their claims are true. You'll like her."

Steve made me promise to come to his housewarming party when he and Tom move and I’ve already started thinking about what kind of gift to get them. Maybe a Panini maker?

Dina wants me to get her tickets to the next show I work on so she can come and support me which was extremely touching.

Tomorrow, I’m hanging out with Adam and I’m hopeful that our lunch will be just as great!