Girlfriends Are Gold…

A birth anniversary showed itself on the calendar of life. Middle Chicken said, “Be at my house at 1. And wear a cute dress.”

I arrive at the appointed time, wearing a cute dress. I wish I’d gone for the beige pumps with a diagonal strap instead of super cute flats. You’ll see why.

Knock, knock. All the best girls are assembled on Middle Chicken’s curvy staircase, yelling, “Surprise.” Confusion clouds the brain. Yes, it’s a birthday, but not one of note. How did Middle Chicken corral the girls? How many of them had I spoken to that very morning?

“So whatcha doing for your day?”

Oh, not much. Going to lunch with Middle Chicken.”

“Sounds fun.”

“Wanna have a drink to celebrate your day tomorrow?”

“Sure, that sounds great.”

Still rooted in the doorway, I turn my back to the crowd. Regroup. It’s a surprise party. My gals are here. Paint this girl confused. Surprise 1, Duchess 0.

The faces of the gal pals who fill my life surround me, along with GrandBear 2 in her best party wear. She got the cute dress memo, too. I take in the beautiful, bright, talented women who have traveled with me through widowhood, cancer, sudden single motherhood, and dancing on tables at the country dive bar. I am stunned my little one wrangled them without my knowledge.

Middle Chicken has created a garden party, inside and out. The table, exploding with flowers, is exquisite. The wine; well she knows all the right choices. Conversation centers on dresses, Amazon dupes and whether Botox actually works.

Don’t know Amazon dupes? The cute dress of the day is a dupe. Of one of Maya Rudolph’s dresses in Loot. How does it work? Find the designer you fancy. Enter (designer name) dupe in Amazon and voila. Have a garden party-worthy dress on a single gal’s salary. In this case, the original is a La Double J from Milan, and goes for $780. The dupe on Amazon is $38.

Middle Chicken found a card game supposedly akin to the one about humanity. Funny, right? Closer inspection asks the table to answer: Have You Ever Seen A Therapist? What was the worst thing your parents ever did? And, What is the cruelest thing happening in the world today? We label it party fail and move along.

Gifts abound. Baby Pea brings a beloved skin product which leads to discussion of the best body oil–Osea. Hands down. What do you put on your face at night? Snail Mucin. Yep, the stuff they secrete. You’ll stop judging when you bid adieu to your wrinkles. A mug that says, “My chickens think I’m pretty great.” Bracelets with the names of all the GrandBears from another Mémé. And, of course, stock for the wine rack.

But it is kindness and laughter that fill the day and the heart. Watching The Goddess and friends teach GrandBear 2 how to downward dog and dance to Love Shack, I know that this tiny GrandBear, like her Mémé, is in good hands.

Girlfriends are gold. Love you all.