Apparently a lot shorter than I thought.
This book sat on my bookshelf for ages. And I do mean AGES. At the time Barnes&Noble was having a sale, it was a bestseller and this copy came in hardback, so I purchased it. But reading about somebody's crazy childhood in comparison to reliving my own just didn't sound as interesting. And on top of that, reviews from friends were all over the place.
So there you have it. After several years of collecting dust I finally finished it two weeks ago. My summary: it's a weird memoir that's much too long. The beginning and the ending were well written, but quite honestly I could have ripped out most of the middle and still have had a pretty good story. Some people find the book hilarious, I thought it was disturbing and not done in the light humor of someone like David Sedaris.
The remote of all remotes apparently.
There are the friends that you rarely see but every time that you do, it’s as if no time has passed. The friends that remind you of the person that you want to be, that you can be, that you may have always been. That’s my friend, Tyee. We met in college when she had China doll bangs and I cooked a lot of salty foods. She was full of dry humor, French slang and a wicked sense of style. We weren’t particularly close during those days, her humor was not for me, but over the years despite our hectic schedules we've managed to stay in touch and grow our friendship.
Yesterday I picked her up on the corner of Sutter and Divisadero, outside the Intensive Care Cancer Unit. “No, my mom is not okay..” she said slowly. “She has colon cancer. We found out last month and it’s spread to her ovaries. They’ve removed what they could. She just had the surgery this week and in a few months, she’ll go into chemo. The prognosis is not good.”
Tyee was calm and composed. What do you say to a friend in that moment? “I’m sorry.” My words sounded thick and hollow. I wanted to say more but my throat was dry and I was at a loss.
We spent the afternoon drinking hot chocolate and shopping for plum colored lipstick. She broke down a little when we discussed the upcoming wedding and the acceleration of plans. “I want her to be able to enjoy the day..well, I just want her to be there for it.” She looked away as I stared down at the table. We changed the subject to wedding gowns, bouquets and her plan to buy flowers the day of at Costco. My friend, always the frugal one.
I’m amazed at her strength and ability to keep it all together. Over a year ago, her fiancé went through chemo for a brain tumor and now life has just gotten back to normal. And here she is, at the start of the new year watching it happen all over again. My dating life update was frivolous in comparison. But I continued on because the stories made her laugh. And that’s all I could hope for in a time like this.
Stay positive Love. xoxo.
