Since I've been on the Cape, M has resisted getting together. “I’m just not ready yet,” she’s continually told me, and I don’t want to push.
But today, at 7:15, unplanned, I suggest we get together since I’ll only be a half hour from her house. She surprises me and ever so casually, as if this is something we do everyday, says, "Great."
I dress in an outfit I know we’ll be slim-looking. My jeans, a tank, and a light sweater. My mother sees me and tells me I’ll be too hot, as it’s supposed to be in the 90’s today. So I reluctantly change into a linen skirt that is not as form-fitting as my jeans. We're on the road by 8.
While going on all these tours and info sessions is arduous, both Alexander and I enjoy them. It's been immensely helpful in focusing his search. While Tufts is perfect on paper (pretty campus, great programs, smallish but with the benefits of a large university, close proximity to Boston), neither of us feels a visceral connection. But we do like the Tufts apparel and end up buying our favorite brands, Banner 47 and League, in: grey sweatpants and a heather blue T-shirt for Alexander, and a navy blue zipper-hooded sweatshirt and brown sweat cut-offs for me.
By 2, we are on our way to M’s. We get to her house a few minutes before she does, and we’re waiting in her Eden-like backyard, when we hear her drive in. She’s just come from a massage and picking up Harrison, so she’s warned me that she’ll be covered in oils and dressed sloppily. Still, I’m prepared to tell her she looks great, regardless of how big or little a difference I see.
What I see surprises me. A new person bounces out of her car. First, I notice that M looks and moves about 10 years younger than when I last saw her, a year ago. Her skin is flawless (she swears it’s the 2 to 4 fish oil pills she takes daily). Tan. Unwrinkled. And glowing. She has beautiful thick dark hair and she’s wearing it in a stylish, chic cut. I’m thinking that my hair looks a little too 60-ish (as in the era, not the age) and that maybe I should get a new look. For maybe the first time I notice the shape of her face and its many angles. She looks sensational.
The 60 plus pounds she’s lost shows everywhere. It’s interesting that the first thing both Alexander and I notice isn’t the smaller outline of her body, but rather her movement, her overall healthiness, and how pretty she looks. Yes, she looks a lot thinner. Her legs, even through her black pants, look toned and strong and slim. And yes, you can absolutely see that there is so much less of her. It is the best I’ve ever seen her.
We decide to have dinner at Legal Sea Foods, and M generously insists on treating Alexander and me. She orders steamed shrimp and broccoli with the sauce on the side. I am not as good and order their stuffed shrimp which I love (that’s my excuse, anyway).
My whole family adores M and considers her their friend too. Prior to my arriving, she talked to my mom and plans to come down the Cape for dinner on Saturday. My parents love seeing her. Alexander is as comfortable with her as he is with his own friends. And though we talk on the phone all the time, seeing her, and especially the new her, is really special.
In the car on the way to dinner, we talk about some of the choices we’ve made in life and why. She recalls how she almost worked for American Express after business school, and while it of course would have changed the course of her life, it would also have affected mine.
I am so glad she chose Boston and Gillette at the same time that I was choosing the same. She is a remarkable person. M has a gigantic personality, is generous and warm and funny and kind. She’s the person that everyone wants to be seated next to at a party. But I’m one of the lucky ones. I get to call her one of my closest friends.
M, you shine now, inside and out. Finally, your looks have caught up with your personality. Bold and beautiful. I can’t wait until Thanksgiving when I'll see even less of you.
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