Familiar friends

My week of single parenting is nearly over. Gary will be home from his business trip tomorrow night — his plane lands at 4.30, so not even late tomorrow.

And we have a brand-new shell of a swimming pool in our backyard. All we have to do is hose it down two times a day. I'll be happy to cede that job to him over the weekend.

Even better, I am no longer friend-free. I've been spending time with the mother of Sylvia's friend, who is very nice. We walked this morning, over two miles. It was fun, and she is easy to talk to.

Plus I've been in touch this week with one of my friends from college, Pete. We were the best of friends all through college, tried to stay in touch for a while, but I haven't talked to him since before we went to Germany.

We've picked up just where we left off; it's like we just talked yesterday. We've sent photos back and forth (he looks just the same) and he sounds just the same — he's the same old Peter.

He has changed, of course. He's a hospital VP. And he works out, runs marathons. Let's face it: We're both nearing 40, so life has changed in many ways. We're not the naive, careless 18-year-olds we were when we met, and life has caught up with both of us. I know that in many ways we are different people, all grown up. But in other ways we are just the same.

I remember from a class reunion that there was one guy who seemed to have ditched the annoying parts of his personality yet stayed the same — he was like Christopher always us just without any of the juvenile crap.

I feel that way about Pete — he has managed to hold onto what I remember as funny and charming, yet he has grown up at the same time. He is comfortable with who he is, secure, and successful.

I am so glad he is back in my life. Friends, after all, are what it's all about.