I have a 79-year-old friend who I have lunch with about once a month. We met many years ago by happenstance, as she had a weekly appointment that ended when mine began.
We started to chat in the waiting room and over time became friends.
She is a smart woman who spent many years in corporate America. When she retired, her circle of friends became smaller and dwindled further since she is a caregiver to her husband with a chronic illness.
At our lunches we would chat about the goings on in our lives. During the year we exchange holiday and birthday gifts. In between our visits we talk on the phone.
We always end our conversations with one of us saying “I love you” and the other saying “I love you, too.”
A couple of months ago my friend had a very bad fall that resulted in a brain injury.