But we no longer hide the uncomfortable parts of our lives from each other.
And every summer, we return to the same beach.
We sit beneath the same umbrella.
We watch the waves.
And we take another photograph.
Last summer, Susan looked at me and smiled.
“Remember when I thought that would be our last picture together?”
I laughed.
“
How could I forget?”
She squeezed my hand.
“I’m glad I was wrong.”
I looked toward the ocean.
“So am I.”
Then I lifted my phone.
“Now smile. We have a lot more memories to make.”
Because after forty-two years of friendship, I finally understood something: the strongest relationships aren’t the ones without painful truths. They’re the ones where people find the courage to face those truths together.
THE END
