It is International Friendship Day, as I write this on 30th July. I’m not a great fan of days invented to sell greetings cards, but I am in favour of celebrating friendship. It is something we should do every day.
My amazing friends enrich my world. They take me on adventures as we discover new places and ideas.
When my emotions are turbulent with anger, frustration, or disappointment, friends sit with me, figuratively holding my hand, until I am calm and still.
Friends share precious memories, safeguarding them with love so they are not forgotten.
Friendship is not one thing it is a million small kindnesses shared over a lifetime.
When the United Nations proclaimed Friendship Day in 2011, it was to promote friendship between peoples, countries, cultures, and individuals, inspiring peace efforts and building bridges between communities.
Friendship and community are themes that run through all of my books. The Last Act was published as a paperback last week – available in local Indie bookshops and Amazon. The eBook is published on 1st August – available to pre-order at the bargain price of 99p 99c.
In The Last Act, magician’s assistant, Jojo, has discovered a world that is taking her away from her best friend, Annie. A friendship formed in childhood, they have relied on one another, maybe too much.
In this extract from chapter two, Jojo and Annie are in a Chinese restaurant, catching up on news. Annie has just recounted a shared memory from their childhood.
They both laughed, although this was a story frequently told. It reaffirmed the bond between them, but that evening Annie sensed their ties weakening.
‘How are your parents?’ Jojo asked.
It felt as though Jojo was checking she had covered all that was expected of her before she returned to a world that Annie knew nothing about. ‘They’re talking about moving to Scotland.’
‘Oh,’ Jojo said, and Annie was pleased that she had saved this important news. ‘Does that mean they will sell your house?’
‘Yes. Once Jessica’s married. Dad wants to return to his Highland roots and Mum’s ready for a change.’ Annie sighed.
‘What about you? Where will you live?’
Annie wanted to wail, I don’t know. I’m lost. I’m scared. I’m lonely. ‘I’ll find somewhere,’ she said.
‘Shall we get the bill then?’
So that was that. Annie had dropped her bombshell, but it barely made a ripple on the surface of Jojo’s world. Annie knew her friend had already disconnected and was mentally making her way home to the Incredible Nico.
Whilst Jojo was digging around in her bag, Annie said, ‘What about Monday?’
‘For what? I can never find anything in here.’
‘Give it to me,’ Annie reached out a hand and Jojo passed her the battered leather bag. ‘I’ve not seen this before. Did you get it from Portobello Road or Camden market?’
‘No. It belonged to a magician – a Gladstone bag. I found it in the props room and Charlie said I might as well take it because it would only get thrown away.’
‘Well, it’s ridiculous. You can’t find anything in here.’
‘It is a magic bag,’ Jojo laughed. Annie rummaged and then held aloft Jojo’s green purse.
‘So, Monday? For afternoon tea?’
‘Oh. Okay. I think that’s alright, but we’re really busy with rehearsals for the Starlight show.’
‘Fine.’
‘But I will be there. I promise. About four?’
They hugged each other goodbye. Jojo said she would get a taxi and offered Annie a lift, but they were going in opposite directions.
It was still light, and the streets buzzed with anticipation for the weekend as girls with big hair, dressed in animal print and silks strode with meaning and young men with attitude gave them the eye. Everyone was going somewhere except for Annie. Before Jojo moved in with Nico, they might have met up on a Saturday in Camden to scour the market stalls looking for old clothes for Jojo. I’ll spend the evening with Mum for a change. Buy her a box of orange Matchsticks, her favourite, and we’ll watch Dallas together. But Annie’s heart was heavy. She knew that one day Jojo would meet someone, that their lives would take them in different directions. It was just that Jojo knew where she was going, and Annie had no idea. It was as though she had been waiting for the right bus to come along, watching everyone else leave. Then, when she was alone at the bus terminal, the news that there would be no more buses. Her bus had come and gone without her.
When I wrote this book, I was experiencing the pain of a close friend moving in a different direction than me. It is painful. But necessary. Our lives can be entwined for months or years and then circumstance leads us down a different path to one another. We may feel as though we are being left behind, as Annie did. But new people and opportunities come into our lives.
‘Growing apart doesn’t change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I’m glad for that.’ Ally Connie
I don’t think we ever grow apart from friends. Our lives take us down different paths, but that can only strengthen our bond of friendship. In September, I am spending the weekend with six friends from school. We have known each other for 50 years. I love them and value their friendship. In fact, I am impressed that I had such good sense in choosing these amazing women to be my friends.
So today, on International Friendship Day, remember your friends, new and old, with love and gratitude. Let’s celebrate them every day.
Deborah Klee 