Everyone has at least one of them. That person, the one person with whom you can be in the worst situation with and you can turn to them and say, “Don’t worry, once we get out of this, I’ve got an even better idea,” and they are with you! Lucy had her Ethel for these things and I have Diane.
Now, don’t get me wrong, Diane and I are not out there, doing illegal things, trying to get on to “Ricky’s show” or something, but we do have a great deal of fun with the adventures we do concoct.
Although Diane is my cousin, I really don’t remember us growing up together. I began spending time with Diane when I was in college. She was in the midst of raising three little boys, I was getting my college degree and not enjoying the experience. Until I began spending time at Diane’s house. Those are some of my fondest memories of my years in college. We could talk about anything, laugh at what her boys were doing and dream of how we would be in the future.
Diane saw me through romances, my wedding, my first child; she was always there and she always seemed a little smarter than me(which I believe she is). She was always the voice behind when I concocted wild ideas. It was never, “No, you can’t do that.” It was more like, “Well, okay, we’ll do it that way if you want, but maybe we should try….” Definitely, she was the Ethel voice of reason behind my Lucy wild ideas.
Jackie and her Cousin Diane
Then, it was time for Diane and her family to move on and have their own adventures. I thought perhaps our friendship would fade, but happily, I was wrong. We spent hours on the phone—not every day—but often enough. We would have each other rolling on the floor with our descriptions of the things going on in our lives. So many nights I would crawl into bed late, my sides aching with laughter and a smile on my face from our conversations.
Children, careers and grandchildren take up so much of our time these days, but nothing wipes out this friendship. We don’t get together as often as we should and frequently when we do, it’s to go shopping. Diane should have been a designer with her artistic eye. She can put an outfit together and make it look good on me faster than anyone I’ve ever met.
I’m sure we’re quite a sight in the stores, with Diane flitting on ahead, giving her infectious chuckle as she exclaims, “Oooh! Look at this! Look at these skirts..oh boy, the clearance rack!” I’ll be dragging along behind going, “No, Diane, stop looking, I can’t buy any more…ooo! Where did you find that; it’s gorgeous!”
I imagine that Diane and I will remain friends until we’re little old ladies, shopping for dentures and hearing aids and good back braces together. Whatever we find, though, as long as I let my “Ethel” do the choosing, this “Lucy” will be one fine-looking old lady!
dropsinthewell 