Less than a month ago my friend Judy wanted me to go to a concert with her in another state. As much as I wanted to join her, I couldn’t. It just so happened that this other friend of mine, Margaret, would be vacationing in the area around that same time, so I gave Judy Margaret’s phone number and told her to call. I have been friends with Margaret for almost 20 years; I have known Judy socially for almost as long but we just became close this past year. I love them both and would trust my life with either of them.
Being the free-spirit Margaret is, of course, she agreed to accompany Judy to the concert. However, one phone conversation between them led to another; suburban toll calls became long-distance calls; by the time they actually saw each other in person, they had fallen in love.
When I found out what was happening, I smiled from the inside out. However, when they told me that they were going to Italy for Margaret’s birthday in January, I screamed.
“Italy,” I said.