Friendship is a funny thing. When I wrote the first two chapters of Loving the Missing Link, back in 1985, I could never have created the characters of Sid and Fredericks. As Cheryl’s dearest friends (Cheryl is my protagonist), these two people provide love, support and a certain amount of guidance. They are the epitome of mature friends. And now, after all these years, I understand how valuable friends like that are.
When I was younger, I didn’t have any friends like Sid or Fredericks. I had fun friends to go out with, which was great at the time. I had sort-of friends I worked or went to school with. Actually, they weren’t real friends at all. We had some sort of relationship, but it was not as close as real friends.
My best and most beloved friend was and is my husband. But spouses don’t work well as only friends. Because you don’t want to make them feel bad about things they can’t change, you can’t ask them to listen to your anguish. Because they know you so well, there are fewer new things to talk about. Husbands as friends can be kind or helpful, but what they can never be is objective.
By the time you reach my age (not that I’m ancient or anything), the value of a reliable, intelligent and reasonable friend becomes increasingly evident. Luckily, Cheryl didn’t have to wait until her 50’s to find friends who had her best interests at heart.
I have been considering abandoning my current project for the time being to write a sequel to Loving the Missing Link. My readers want more out of Cheryl, and I did enjoy writing that book. If I do write it, Sid and Fredericks will play a large part. Considering what I have planned for her, she will need them more than ever.
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