Last night I gave Ryan and Sarah their wedding gift. After all, why have to schlep it to Michigan and then leave them to worry about schlepping it back to Illinois? Right? Plus, let’s remember that I hate holding onto gifts for longer than, oh, ten minutes before it is opened. I’m no fun at christmas, mainly because I insist on everyone opening their presents early. Like on Thanksgiving.
Other than the triumphant gift giving (four star gift, for sure), was the will Leah and Sarah get along for an extended period of time. Sarah is marrying my best friend, who happens to be a guy. Giving up a guy friend to marriage has been much harder than any girl friend I’ve ever seen walk down the aisle. Yes, of course, over the last ten years (or so) there have been moments (all on my part) of maybe we should be dating. But the last of those was WEEKS before they met, so no problem there.
But I expect friendship maintenance to be pretty hard. We have never been part of a circle of friends, it has always just been the two of us. Separate of his girlfriends, my traveling, divergent interests–we have always existed in a seperate (I can’t decide how to spell the damn word, so I’ll keep changing my spelling) realm. Checking in with each other, going to bookstores, going to restaurants (where I typically couldn’t eat and if I did manage to eat, I usually got sick–otherwise known as the food thing), and walking or driving. He has been my fallback date for family events and I have been… well, there. He always had a girlfriend and didn’t need a fallback date for anything I can think of.
MY POINT: Last night was the first time that my extensive knowledge of Ryan’s last ten years have been of any interest to anyone. Since we don’t share friends, people (other than my folks) aren’t asking me about Ryan. So to have someone want to tap my brain a little to learn about him, it was kind of cool.
And kind of hard, of course. It is getting better, but I still keep thinking of that other scene from My Best Friend’s Wedding. The one in an elevator, where Cameron Diaz stops the elevator and tells Julia Roberts she knows what’s up. “He has you on a pedastal (not that he does in my life, I’m not saying that) and me in his arms.” That and the “But who’s chasing you?” scene.
And the one where they all sing together at that restaurant, that was funny too.