How many times have you looked at your friend’s number on your phone, your thumb hovering over the dial button…then felt you couldn’t disturb them and locked the screen? Years ago, when my mum had to spend a couple of weeks in the hospital, I found myself doing just that. I’ve done it more times than I can remember. It’s easy to feel like the weight and responsibility of being there for someone when it’s really dark is reserved for partners, not friends. Society, after all, places more emotional emphasis on romance than friendship. It doesn’t always feel appropriate to call a friend and ask them to come over because you can’t bear to go home to an empty house, or face a diagnosis, or because you simply need to cry with someone. I remember all those years ago, standing in the dark under a billboard with my phone in hand, feeling as though it wasn’t fair to reach out to a friend, because friends don’t sign up to this kind of thing. Looking back, I was so wrong.
