Coffee and Margaritas

I had a wonderful visit this weekend, from my cousin. Most will think what is the big deal? A visit from a cousin shouldn't be a big deal, but in our case it is. You see a family rift came between us in our late teens. Not our doing, differences our parents had with each other. so, over the last 30+ years, life has gotten in our way, we drifted but somehow always manage to find each other.

She is my older cousin. As children we were inseparable. You would have thought we were Siamese twins we were that close. Then my dad got transferred and we moved away. I was 8 years old. My cousin and I wrote to each other EVERY day. We really missed each other. We did that into our teen years, and our relationship got even closer.

My family and I moved back east when I was in high school. Even though we did not go to the same school, we remained close friends. Then I went away to college. That seemed to be the defining point. Our grandmother passed away, and the rift occurred. I don't know what happened, but indirectly it did affect my cousin and me. We drifted apart.

In the last 30+ years we have seen each other 3 times. This weekend was the 4th. She lives in another state, but within driving distance. She came to my house. We talked and giggled most of the night away. My husband let us have our time. We are still very much the same as we were as children. We talked about us. Our likes, our thoughts, our feelings. We opened the doors to our souls to each other, just like we used to do in our letters. It was good to be with her.

We are both in our mid'50's now. She is completely blond. I am highlighted. She has become very independent, and I am still opinionated. Neither of us cook or bake. We both love to read. She sews, I crochet. We love to drink coffee, and margaritas. We made plans. She is single, wasn't always, but that is another story, I am married. I have children, she doesn't. My children love her. She loves them. She likes my husband. He learned a little more about me this weekend!! I am waiting to meet the new man in her life.

I am really happy. We were able to be ourselves and not try to piece together the reasons why our families drifted apart. It doesn't matter any more. What matters now is us. We are family, and we need to renew that friendship that was our birthright. The strings that held us together as babies, strengthened as toddlers, reinforced as children, and proved everlasting as teenagers are ours to claim once again. A friendship that has never broken despite life events that tried to dismantle it brick by brick is as strong as it ever was.

Coffee and margaritas. Yes. We will have plenty of them in our future.