Me and my mate Coffee go way back. We met in my teens, but we didn’t become best buddies until my thirties. Till then I had other friends to hang out with and make me feel good – I could easily go a day without seeing her and not feel bad, often even longer.
When I reached the big 3-0, things seemed to change. Our friendship really grew, the buzz when we met intensified. As we’ve got closer, I’ve realised if I can’t have the real Coffee, I prefer to have none – instant friendships just don’t hit the mark.
When I fell pregnant with Little H, we didn’t get along so well for those first few months. Inbetween retching I mourned the loss of a dear friend. Luckily Coffee had some tricks up her sleeve, and came back to me in the third trimester without quite the same buzz but just as much character as ever.
Since having the kids our friendship has really blossomed. I can’t get enough of her. Every morning I look forward to seeing her. I really notice when we don’t have time to meet. So do my family and other friends. Lunchtime is just too late, and I’ve learned through the years together that seeing her in the afternoon leaves me sleepless from all the excitement. Perhaps that’s her play to make me even more desperate for her company the following morning.
Occasionally I try to wean myself off our friendship – I mean, surely me being such a needy friend can’t be a good thing, can it? But it’s proved too hard. She lures me back into our old habits and I think “Why not? What’s so wrong with Coffee anyway?” People say she’s not good for me, but I’m not so sure. Some days, nurturing our friendship is all that keeps me going.
The great thing is we love all the same haunts. She’s a great lover of café culture. She really comes into her own in the best establishments – strong and full of character. We avoid the places where the real Coffee isn’t appreciated, hiding behind the pale shadows of her instant relatives.
Our conversations are at their best when they’re accompanied by a big wedge of home-made cake, although sometimes we just sit together and read the paper. I think our friendship will last a lifetime. There’s just no-one else who makes me feel the same way.
Love ya, Coffee. What would I do without you…
In This Life Mrs H 
I’m with you there – couldn’t live without it 🙂
I’m exactly the same! Love this post. Did you see Grenglish wrote a similar one about red wine this week? Very funny 🙂
sounds like one I need to check out, so thanks for the tip!
What Mrs D said. 😉