Rhythm of Friendship

My friend, Elaine, will probably be leaving Cleveland soon. She is going to move to Texas to be closer to her son and his family. For that obvious reason, I am happy for her.

 

Each time we get together, it is like a clock winding down. Like the last weekend we spent in Cleveland, we kept wondering out loud whey we hadn’t gone to more plays, or done more things together. But that is usually how it goes.

 

For me, Elaine, has always been around when I needed a shoulder to cry on, her home became a safe harbor for me when I was going through life changing experiences. We have laughed over movies and funny happenings. and cried over our losses.

 

We have been friends for over 40 years (wow – that is a very long time) a life time! When Elaine sold her house, she let me take whatever I wanted. One thing that I loved and truly lusted after was a beautiful portrait of a young, Native American woman, called “She Dreams in the Rhythm of the Waves”, by artist Patricia Wyatt. The picture is beautifully framed and matted and measures 28x46. Instead, I chose a different, smaller framed photo.

 

When we got together for one of our last weekends at the Radisson, we had rented the room for one night and decided to act like tourists. The next day, we drove to Elaine’s apartment, where I stopped in for 10 minutes before driving home.

 

Before I left, Elaine told me to close my eyes, because she had something to give me. When I opened them, she was holding the picture that I have always wanted…the beautiful portrait of that Native American woman; a woman who looks both wise and thoughtful. I became emotional, choked up, and kept saying, “I can’t take it. It means you’re moving. I love that picture but it should hang on your wall.”

 

A simply beautiful portrait of a woman and now she would hang in my house. Maybe her thoughtful expression always knew that simple goodbyes and acts of friendship would also bring painful moments.