Unlikely Friends

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.

CAROL AND SARAH weren’t always friends.

It wasn’t that they were enemies, but the women weren’t what anyone would call close. They worked at the same company and they often were competing for the same projects. When the company restructured and merged Carol’s and Sarah’s separate divisions into one, the two suddenly found themselves having to work together toward a common goal. But trust didn’t come easily, and interactions often were strained.

However, all of that began to change one day when the women arrived for a meeting a few minutes early and found themselves alone in the room.

Carol looked at the clock, hoping someone else would show up. And then . . .

“So, um, I hear you have a cat?” Sarah’s question broke the awkward silence.

“Not a cat,” Carol corrected Sarah. “THE cat. She is the single most wonderful, most beautiful kitten in the world.” Carol braced herself for Sarah’s reaction.

“What’s her name?”

“Persephone.”

Carol knew many people thought her devotion to Sephy—the nickname she often used for her—was over the top, but Carol didn’t care. She loved Sephy and would gladly tell anyone who asked.

Sarah’s smile expressed complete understanding.

“I have a dog. His name is Bullet, but we call him Bully. He is, by far, the greatest dog to have ever graced this planet. Want to see a picture of him?”

Carol nodded. Sarah scooted beside her and began scrolling through pictures on her phone. She talked about the dog she and her husband, Kory, had rescued several years earlier with the same passion and affection that Carol used when talking about Sephy. Soon, Carol was scrolling through her own phone. The two women were laughing at and admiring the pictures.

When others began to filter into the room, the phones were tucked away, but the connection was just beginning.

Later that evening, Carol related what happened to her small companion. “Seph, I made a new friend today,” Carol said. “And it was all because of you.”

That same night, Sarah was having a similar conversation with Bully.

The tenseness between the two women slowly began to dissipate in the office. After a few weeks, Carol and Sarah were texting about a work project when Carol asked what Bully was doing.

Sarah texted a photo of Bully sleeping beside her.

Carol texted back one of Sephy, doing exactly the same thing.

From that moment, an endless thread of shared photos, videos, and memes began between the two women. Eventually, the text threads led to FaceTime videos. Carol and Sarah angled their cameras so that Bully and Sephy could see each other. As much as they wanted to make these in-person visits, Sarah was severely allergic to cats and Sephy was terrified of large animals. Video visits were the safest way to connect. But the friends (with the help of their human companions) didn’t stop there.

Sephy and Bully received Secret Santa gifts from each other, Valentine’s Day cards, photos to decorate the refrigerators in their kitchens, and treats just to say “I’m thinking of you.” Carol was Sephy’s personal shopper who gladly dug through a bin of pig’s ears at the pet store to find the flat ones Bully preferred. Sarah, Bully’s proxy, left thank-you cat treats and toys for Sephy on Carol’s desk.

If Bully got sick or had a bad day, or Sephy had a scary run-in with a neighborhood dog or had a vet appointment, their humans would overnight care packages addressed to Bully or Persephone.

Even though the cat and dog had never actually met, Sephy and Bully’s long-distance relationship was becoming an example of true love.

As for Carol and Sarah, they became “fill-ins” for their companions, via regular “Can I please come over and play with Bully or Sephy” visits.

Carol pops over to Sarah’s house to accompany them on a walk, rub Bully’s silky-soft ears, and watch Sarah prepare Bully’s favorite treat—a piece of American cheese slathered in peanut butter that is then wrapped around a Beggin’ Strip. (Carol calls it a Bullito.) Sarah’s visits require a bit more planning. Carol vacuums for an hour and thoroughly cleans the house while Sarah takes a large dose of allergy medicine, and Sephy tries very hard to stay off the special chair designated for Ms. Sarah. But neither Carol nor Sarah mind the extra effort. To them, their visits are a chance to spend time celebrating and adoring the animals they bonded over.

Two unlikely friends who brought together two unlikely friends. One duo who have never met in person but who somehow manage to make each other’s lives even richer. And the other who have become the best of friends—thanks to a sweet little kitty named Sephy and a wonderful hound named Bully.

PAWS & PONDER . . .

Who comes to mind when you read Proverbs 17:17? When have you needed a loyal friend to stand with you? Did they? How did they demonstrate their loyalty? How have you demonstrated your loyalty to a friend in a need?

Paws & Pray

Lord, thank you for the gift of friendship and for the special friends you have given me. Please help me to extend grace, compassion, and kindness to them. Inspire me to make unlikely friendships and spread your love to those who need it.