Mick is Patty’s dog.  He is a professional lap warmer and isn’t particularly loyal as he is more than happy to share my lap when I head over to Patty’s for movie watching.  The day after chemo sometimes I’ll slip over to Patty’s and take the adjacent recliner or couch as she slugs away at cancer cells post-chemo.  We like Melissa McCarthy movies and basically that’s what we like.

After a while we work up to some dry toast.  Patty doesn’t say a thing about how she’s feeling.  I sure would.  She just says “not just yet” when offered something to eat.  Then I sit and chat with her, and we discuss how Mick really does like me a lot.  Which he does.

And that brings me to friendships.  Mick loves Patty.  Mick likes me.  And Patty tells me how Mick’s brother is her sister Jane’s dog…I forget his name, but reportedly he doesn’t know it very well either…he’s not the sharpest.

Friendships.  For me, a good cup of coffee and a chat with a friend.  That’s the whole thing.  No wonder the colonists dumped the tea in the river.  Hey Royalists: Don’t mess with our friendships.  If we can’t afford your tea we will switch drinks because we sure as heck aren’t gonna miss out on our chats with friends.  Yeah, the caffeine is nice too.

We tell each other stories in life, don’t we?  If you love someone you want to know her very well.  Or him, if it’s Mick.  How’s Mick today?  What treats does he like?  Has he been on your lap all morning?

Six women in a suburban for ten days.  Imagine the stories.  We’ll share details with one another.  The good stuff.  Some secrets.  Some tears.  A lot of laughter.

Patty and Jane tell great stories of their life raised in a home that had four girls.  Mom and Dad Callaghan figure prominently.  Larger than life, both.  Betty and Dan.  And through all the stories that closeness that comes from tight proximity that only large families can really experience…delightfully enmeshed girls close in age.  Boyfriends.  The move from the midwest down to Florida in their teens.  All four girls live here in southwest Florida in the same area now.  Mom and Dad too.  And Patty’s husband’s family is also large but italian and is known to get together to make giant italian meals with homemade pastas and desserts.  Hordes of women making raviolis from scratch in nona’s kitchen.  I’ll bet the coffee is good over there!

In thirty-eight days we leave for Chicago.  A nine day trip.  A carry-on and a back pack each.  What’s gonna be in those backpacks, ladies?

I’m thinking I’ll tuck in a deck of cards, a computer, hand lotion, and tic-tacs.  And a package or two of Swedish Fish.  I’d bet a bundle that Jean will bring granola bars.  And Patty V will have a Route 66 playlist on-the-ready for us…