Friends Forever

Through the mystical (yet awesome!) powers of Facebook, I was able to reconnect with my friend Mara. We met freshman year in the residence halls. The best word to describe her is dynamo -- she's small, feisty, bubbly, and just a really good person. She's also outrageous in a good way. One of my most vivid memories of Mara happened in the scariest place on Earth communal bathroom. She came bouncing in there as I was brushing my teeth one day and excitedly blurted out "I got my nipple pierced!" As I started laughing, her response was "Want to see?!" and threw her shirt up. There was nothing sexual about the moment, but that just gives you an idea of the kind of wild card that she is. We were pretty good friends through sophomore year of college and then I moved home and she went to Spain. We rarely talked after that.

It's been 8 years since I've seen Mara. In that time, she's lived in a couple of foreign countries and has been settled in New York City for the last few years. Since I am in town on work business, we made plans to meet up. I might think I'm a big deal because of law school, but Mara is even bigger. Her first book was just released yesterday and unsurprisingly, the title is as risque as the woman. Thanks for Coming: One Young Woman's Quest for an Orgasm is an autobiographical tale, but it also has the full force of Mara humor behind it.

We met up at her boyfriend's apartment and just talked for a couple of hours while sharing wine and lots of laughs. I'm really looking forward to moving here and reconnecting with her even more.

I guess that's really the mark of a true friend. Even though it's been nearly a decade since we've spoken, we were able to pick right up where we left off. There was really no awkwardness, no shyness. No weirdness. It was nice to be with someone who knew me back when I was insane and yet, still loved me. I can't wait to finish her book and I strongly encourage everyone to pick up a copy too!