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June 26, 1995

What are friends really for? They may know, but when the time comes, they always seem to forget.

Oh, my. I hope this isn't from Shirley.

Shirley and Hal are the nice young couple that live next door. Shirley and her three kids all came down with the chicken pox, and then her husband broke his arm when he was stringing patio lights and fell off the ladder and landed on the hibachi.

I kept meaning to go over and help, but first I made chicken soup to bring over but Marty ate half of it and left the rest out where the cat could get at it. And of course Marty gets mad at the cat! As if Fluff was supposed to take a little and put the rest back in the refrigerator! Then that was the day I left my glasses in the car wash. I was reading a magazine in the waiting room. I had excellent vision all my life until I was 50, you know. And then they started printing the newspaper smaller...

Get to the point, Ruth.

Well anyway, I was in such a state over my glasses, I forgot all about Shirley and Hal for a whole week, and then when I remembered, I felt so guilty, I couldn't bring myself to even call them up on the telephone! So now it's been, what, a whole month already I haven't talked to them.

I think I'll make some more chicken soup. Shirley, if that is you, I'll be right over. Better late than never.

Did I answer the question?

Yes, Ruth, and very well. But I would add this thought:

It is one thing to know that you can count on the support of good friends, but it is another to assume they will always spring to your aid. They are friends, after all, not staff.

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