Four months is a long time to be missing a friend, especially when you think she doesn't want to be your friend anymore.
But I swallowed my pride and dialed her number today. I even wrote the message down that I planned to leave on her voice mail. Boy, was I surprised when she answered her cellphone while at work, knowing she had to have seen my name on caller ID.
Life has thrown her some hard balls lately and she had to shut down to regroup, which meant she stopped reaching out to her friends.
It was so sweet to hear her voice on the phone, even though she was putting up all sorts of defensive walls, trying to sound tough and strong. But I knew there was pain behind the hard shell, and I called her out on it. The glimpses I got of her soft underside made it worth the effort.
I've missed you terribly, M. I'm so glad we got to speak today.
Love, Suz
