Daily, I receive emails extolling the virtues of having friends. They come in different forms – cartoons, poems and chain letters. No matter – they all say the same thing. As Bette Midler aptly put it, “You just got to have friends.” 

Lunches, presents and fun cards are nice, but you make true friends through experiencing the tough times together. Saying goodbye to Dearly Demented Mom was rough on me, in fact, I was lower than a snake’s belly.

No worry. Very Best Friend stepped right in. She has earned her name and a special place in my heart as we’ve been no more than a phone call away for over 30 years. I’m one lucky cuss to have her at my side. 

VBF suggested that I drive to the Big City and spend some time with her because now I actually could. It’s funny but when you’ve been conditioned to never leave the house without a babysitter, you simply forget the ability to leave. I readily agreed. 

After packing my gear and hanging clothes, I headed out to her lovely abode. Once there, we did what any best friends would do – we laughed, drank wine, cried, drank wine, ate, drank wine and watched a movie while drinking water to recover. 

The movie we watched was The King’s Speech. If you’re not familiar with this film, it details King George VI’s struggle with stuttering. The show was wonderful but it had a very odd effect on us. We started both talking with British accents. 

VBF: “Pip, pip. I say, that was very dashing cinema, wasn’t it, Gwendolyn?”
ME: “It was ever so nice, Minerva. Shall we have a spot of tea now?” 

Being a former disc jockey, I love to speak with an accent. There are many dialects that I can manage. VBF loves to speak British because that’s the only accent she has mastered. Too bad neither of us can do something useful like speak Spanish. 

At breakfast the next morning, we researched the British monarchy via iPhone and found some rather unsettling facts. It doesn’t matter what four first names and two last names you were born with, they can change your name at will when you become king. Pretty hard on the old ego, don’t you think? Not to mention the monogrammed towels. 

As Very Best Friend had planned a busy schedule for us, we ran all over town doing a variety of activities designed to “fix me up.”  Included were lovely dinners, shopping excursions, a trip to the Car Spa for my vehicle, and a trip to the Day Spa for us. By the time I left, both my car and I had been totally buffed and puffed. 

Oddly, during my stay, we spoke with British accents the entire 3 days. There are quite a few people who now believe two sisters named Gwendolyn and Minerva have moved to the Big City. And these lovely women know some very interesting facts about the Royals, including Prince William’s full name: William Arthur Philip Louis Mountbatten-Windsor, Duke of Cambridge. Try saying that three times in a row with an accent. 

We did ponder why and how we had become possessed by two upper crust British matrons but we could never quite figure it out. In retrospect, I suppose it was the proper way of getting me out of a sticky wicket. Sometimes a break with reality is just what the Queen ordered. Until next week, cheerio!

Spreading laughter throughout the world…one chuckle at a time.

Mikie Baker
www.mikiebaker.com