"I get knocked down, but I get up again"

I’m at work but I keep nervously glancing at the clock in the corner of my computer screen because I’m nervous, anxious, excited and pleased about dinner tonight with an old friend.

Back in the day, Caris and I were best friends. We did so much together and we trusted each other with our lives. Caris is really beautiful, she has a good heart, a little giggle that makes me smile and is a kind person. She’s easy going and laughs easily which is really lovely. Caris is also faithful and dependable, so she’s the person you need when you’re going through a rough time.

We had a falling out when I had to cancel on our group dinner (I was part of a tight knit group of girls made up of Caris, Gracie, Sonya, Jess and I) because depression had seized me by the throat. The dinner was important to Jess who had just moved back to Perth after being away a long time in Parrabadoo, so when I cancelled, Caris saw that as a personal affront and gave me a good telling off. We butted heads and we separated after that. We didn’t speak in so long. The other girls in the group found it humorous – so I was hurt by that and as time went by, I spoke to Sonya, Jess and Gracie a lot less, too. About a year later, I invited Caris to my birthday party and she came along with her boyfriend. It meant a lot to me that she gracefully accepted the olive leaf I extended with shaking hands…and we’ve been distant but kind friends to each other since then. We’re slowly approaching each other with caution but there is a lot of love there from our history so we’re doing our best in our ways to mend what was broken.

On a whim 2 weeks ago, I saw Caris’s name in my inbox on Facebook and decided to message her.

Biting my lip, I typed out the words “Miss you” and pressed send.

How would this go?

In a few moments, her reply popped up on my screen “Let’s do dinner, it’s been so long! I’m back in the city now – when are you free?“

Wow. Okay.

Caris wants to hang out?

I did a happy bum wiggle when I got her message. Yass!

So now, I’ve booked a table for two at my favourite Bar in the City (Hunter and Barrel do amazing food) and we’ve arranged to meet at 5:30pm this eve. I finish work at 3pm, so I’ll just go to the city and look around the shops, I think. I don’t plan on catching the train home in the dark after dinner, I’ll probably get an Uber.

It will be good to see Caris’s lovely face again. She’s a born adventurer so I wonder how Covid has affected her as she can’t travel as much as she used to. I wonder if she’s married to Broxon. They dated for a long time and he really gets her. Brox is quirky and sweet and just the right person for Caris, they make such a beautiful couple.

I just don’t know how tonight will go. Will it be awkward or will it be as if we’ve never been apart? Will we both still be hurting from our fight or has enough water passed under the bridge that we are both going to be just fine?

I love my friend and I’m hoping to just be a blessing to her, really.

I’ll update you tomorrow. Wish me luck!