my friend carol

I move to New York in 1984. I have no friends and no apartment. But I do have a job (Brand Manager of Caress Soap at Unilever) and I am finally living in the city I want to be in.

I soon find an apartment, and my first friend. His name is Allen. Allen was the prior Brand Manager on Caress Soap and has moved on to another company. He calls and offers to meet me to help me better understand the brand. How nice, I think. My colleagues know better. "That's so like Allen to call the single female who takes over his old job." Whatever his motivation, Allen and I soon become good friends.

I move here in January. In February Allen invites me to a house he's rented in Killington with some friends. There I meet Carol and Abby. Abby is already married to David (still is), and Carol is single. She quickly becomes my first female friend.

Carol, David, and Abby

That summer, and for the three that follow, Carol and I, and about 50 others, take a share in the house Allen rents on Dune Road in Westhampton.

with Carol...she, the glamorous one on the left;
me, the unglamorous one with the silly terry headband on the right

with Carol and others at the beach house

I am at Carol's  wedding when she marries the wonderful Michael in 1989. She helps me celebrate my surprise 40th birthday.

Terri, Alice, Carol and Jill

And she makes me a shower when I'm pregnant; by then she already has had her first son and has moved out of the city.

Even though Carol lives in Westchester, and even though years can go by when we don't see each other,  and even though months can pass without a word, still, I consider Carol a close friend. She is one of those people who's impossible not to like. She has a great laugh,a positive attitude, a warm and giving personality, and is smart, interesting, and a lot of fun. 

It's been a year and a half since we last got together. No reason. Just busy lives, I guess. But today we meet for lunch and theater.

I had already gotten a ticket for The Humans, and last minute, Carol is able to get one too. 

It's raining, so buses act as if they only travel in good weather. Everything is backed up, and I arrive late. Carol is already there, and looks great. In fact, she looks so good and un-aged that I'm sure she's had some surgical help. But I'm wrong. She's just one of those people who doesn't age. (And stupidly, I become so engrossed in our conversation I never take a picture).

We meet at Nino's 46, a small Italian restaurant that recently opened in midtown. We talk and eat and the time goes too fast. 

I had bought my ticket for The Humans on TDF and Carol was able to buy a last minute ticket for her and a friend through the theater. I feared I'd be seated somewhere in the mezzanine. I am surprised instead to find myself seated in the orchestra — great seat, 11 rows back. In fact, my seat is so good that I shoot a picture, forgetting that photos aren't allowed (this is before the show starts). Soon I'm verbally attacked by an usher who stands over me, insisting that I erase the photos I've taken. He misses this one:

See? it's a great seat. I can see the stage perfectly.

The play is exactly the kind of theater I love best: a comedy-drama about complicated lives; well-acted; well-directed; and one act. Before leaving, we bump into Allen's wife. New York can be a very small town.

Over lunch Carol tells me that she and Michael have gotten an apartment here. I am thrilled. Soon when we see each other, it'll no longer be a special occasion. It'll just be life-as-usual. I'm really looking forward to that.