JULIA AND CLAIRE

I think I could do a whole novel on the friendship between Julia and Claire. All of us have had friends that simply ask "How are you doing?" and expect a perfunctory answer. But the really good friends are those who care enough about you to tell you to to get over yourself when you are unnecessarily sulking or give you permission to be mad when the rest of the world thinks you should be over it. The friendship between Claire and Julia is based on one of my friendships with my friend, Karen. She and I became friends when I was going through my divorce 20+ years ago. Since I was the melancholy over-thinker that I still am, and she was the less emotional put-on-your-big-girl-pants type, we fit like glove in hand when it came to helping each other through rough spots. I'll never forget talking with her on the phone in the bedroom (before cell phones existed) and I was boo-hooing about something in my life and she stopped me and said, "Where are you?" I said, "I'm on my bed, why?" She replied, "Because you need to watch an episode of Designing Women with me." Seriously? I thought. I have no interest in watching crazy Southern women cackling about nothing when I am having a crisis here! But I listened to her, and got on the phone in the living room and she sat on the phone with me while we both watched Designing Women -- and I actually laughed. That's a true friend. And we have been friends since, although long distance now. I thought of her when Claire drug Julia into her house to watch How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days just to laugh at the foibles of relationships. Thanks, Karen, for your inspiration for that scene. You will always have a place in my heart. :-)