December 29th 2009
Do you have advice to offer two single women whose lives are suddenly crashing in chaos? Zoe and Sophia, BFFs for thirty years,  find themselves unexpectedly cast into the world of re-creation and redefinition after decades of being faithful wives to George and Marty. They need advice from anyone willing to offer it. For instance, what advice would you give your BFF WHOSE NOSE IS A CRUSTY RED MESS FROM CRYING SO MUCH?  Any advice you can give to Sophia would be helpful, but this is the advice Zoe gave her.

Zoe squinted and craned her neck as she looked at Sophia.  Sophia’s sad eyes gazed back at her. Finally, Zoe said, “What’s wrong?”
Sophia sobbed, “I just hurt inside, and I’m so angry at Marty for betraying me.”
Zoe stood back examining Sophia before saying, “I meant–what’s wrong with your nose? Do something with it. You have to look fabulous in an hour for tonight’s party in Boston-the one at the recording studio–remember?”
“Oh, fuck,” said Sophia, lured momentarily from her misery. Then she resumed the thread of most of her thoughts these days and wailed, “Why did Marty have to wait until I was in my 50s to have an affair?” Zoe shook her head and shrugged, threw Sophia a sympathetic look, and then slipped past her friend, as she headed to the downstairs bathroom for a shower. Sophia called out to her, “ZOE, I CAN’T STOP CRYING.  WHAT DO I DO.”

Abruptly Zoe halted and turned to Sophia and said, “WHEN YOU ARE SAD BECAUSE YOUR HEART IS BROKEN, DON’T STOP CRYING–JUST BUY A BETTER BRAND OF TISSUE.”
“Why didn’t I think of that?” said Sophia, as she started for the upstairs shower.

But before Sophia reached the landing, she called down, “Hey, Zo—was that a Buddhist thing you just said?”
“Sounds like.” 

Zoe and Sophia attracted a lot of attention when they went places together. They spawned an alluring confidence and sensual energy. Somehow, they’d managed to retain (or regain after appalling marriages to their cheating, pathetic, deadbeat not-quite-ex-husbands) slender figures, good breasts, blond hair, smooth skin, firm legs, and fairly flat tummies. Fortunately for them, they were born with pretty eyes. They actually did look at least ten years younger than their ages. More importantly, they had tucked in their incredible brains and hearts years of nurturing others, loving well, making love well, raising amazing children and earning good money. Okay, let’s face it–they were hot–but that expression was just a little too crass for their tastes.

Within an hour the two emerged from their transformation stations—showered, lotioned, blow dried, iron rolled, made-up, jewelryed and dressed in skinny jeans and cute tops from The Loft. Zoe dashed out to warm up the car and get the R&B music cranking on that frigid November night. Snow flurries didn’t perturb them as they roared out of Exeter, NH, headed for Boston. The two intense, single fifty-somethings, BFFs for thirty years, were off on one of their marvelous adventures as the Sublime Consumers of the Lightness of Being.

To be continued….But PLEASE, help them with YOUR advice.