Something happened that made me think about what sets "best friends" apart from just regular friends.
But to explain, we have to rewind all the way back to 1986 — a time of perms, shoulder pads, and Satzenbrau.
I had just landed my first teaching job and was looking for somewhere to live. My lovely secondary school pal Majella tipped me off about a house share with two fellas and a girl named Genevieve. Majella swore we’d get on famously, especially with Genevieve, who she described as "quiet and reserved."
Spoiler alert: she lied.
The night I moved in, Genevieve was out at a teacher meeting. So, off I went to the pub with the two lads for a bonding pint or two. We returned later to find every light in the house blazing. The lads immediately panicked. "That’s not like Gen," they whispered.
Then we heard it — a rhythmic thud coming from upstairs.
As her boyfriend Vincent wasn't there that night we knew it wasn't that making the noise:
"Gen, are you alright?"
A muffled voice replied, "Of course... hic! Come in."
We peered in like the three bears spying on Goldilocks, to find Genevieve, fully dressed with her nightie worn over her clothes, repeatedly knocking her head against the wall.
Turns out she had gone out for drinks after the meeting and had, for the first time ever, sampled alcohol. Two bottles of Satzenbrau. Lightweight.
She squinted at me and said, "Oh, you must be the new girl. I'm so sorry. I'm not usually like this, hic...thud."
I looked at her and thought, Someone was lying about how quiet you are... I think we’re going to get on just fine.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Not long after, we went to see the hot new release Cocktail, starring a young lad named Tom Cruise. And just like that, Genevieve was smitten. A lifelong crush was born.
I leaned more toward George Clooney (that head tilt and those eyebrows), but Genevieve’s loyalty to Tom never wavered. Not through the Scientology years, not through the Oprah couch jump, not even when he ditched Katie Holmes and Suri.
She’s so loyal, in fact, that Vincent, her now husband, accepts Tom as her official Hall Pass.
And so, 37 years later, there we were — Genevieve and me, heading to see Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (or whatever increasingly dramatic title they’re on now). This time, Vincent and their kids Briain and Sadhbh came along, too.
The film was two hours of improbable stunts held together by a threadbare plot — exactly what we came for.
By the time the credits rolled, I was so worn out I felt like I’d swum into that submarine and clung to the outside of that airplane.
As we left the cinema, Genevieve and I hung back to have a quiet word, as only best friends can.
We agreed: Tom is looking just as good now as he did 37 years ago.
Though in fairness, he’s probably saying the same thing about us.
Challenge status: Still hanging on, just like Tom on a cliff edge.
Mood: Nostalgic, giddy, and possibly converted to Scientology (just kidding... probably).
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