The Contingency Plan

In with the new and the old re-surfacing

It seems with each new stage of life, a part I'd forgotten or left behind resurfaces, giving me the opportunity to reconnect or disregard it again.

And with the birth of Hugo I've opened myself to a number relationships I'd forgotten or rejected, including friends I've grown up with, to my father.

A friendship that's re-surfaced is one with a friend called Allanah. Allanah, Sophie and I were extremely close for years, but grew distant over the last twelve months. Our friendship started over six years ago through partying and jobs in retail and has seen Sophie and I as bridesmaids at Allanah's wedding and me as the godmother of her first child.

Anyhow, we used to always laugh about our differences, but they seemed to be the thing that ultimately tore us apart.

Allanah had her first child at 23 (a gorgeous boy called Eden), married early at 24 and now at 26, also has a girl called Michaela, a mortage for a two storey house in the suburbs, which she shares with her loving husband and their budding family.

Despite graduating as a high distinction business student at university, Sophie developed into wandering fairy, has never held a full time job past a year, has changed religions four times in the past six years, studies ayuverdic medicine at a nature care college (in between visits to India to spend time with her favourite guru) and even though she's 27, still lives at home with her parents.

I, on the other hand, was seen as the city-loving career girl, who was ambitious to move up in the corporate world, working for big name consumer tech companies, living in waterfront apartment and trying to balance a healthy partying life with book clubs, time out with friends and of course, time with the boy.

I know it sounds a bit stereotypical, but it's true.

Anyhow, the last time I saw Allanah was eleven months ago when Sophie and I went to visit her in hospital for the birth of Michaela. The visit was awkward. Allanah and I have always bonded well, but Sophie and Allanah have always had their moments and this was one of them.

Although Sophie has a good heart, she can be a little clueless and unfortuanately gets a little ditzier as the years progress. Anyhow, she said a few thoughtless things to Al and then weakly offered to massage her swollen feet (which would've been more painful than pain-relieving) and I could tell by the end of the visit that we wouldn't see each other for a while. Unfortunately I thought Al was also upset at me, but she wasn't - she was just fed up of Sophie.

Anyhow, Al's had a hard year with a baby that seems to have stayed in the hospital more than it has at home and although we haven't been in touch, she phoned as soon as she heard that I'd had Hugo to congratulate me. We talked for hours and it felt SOOO damn good to chat to an old familiar friend who is also a mum.

We plan on meeting next Wednesday and I can't wait. I love how we just picked up from where we left off without dramatising things, I really appreciate friendships like these.

Anyhow, with this time of the phoenix, I also received a letter in the post today. It was hand written in texta on coloured paper with the return address of Sophie.