A and I used to be roommates.  She’s married now, and lives near my office.  Tuesday afternoon she IM’d me to ask if I could meet for dinner. Her husband was out of town, and she and the baby were feeling a bit cooped up.
I typically love an impromptu dinner out, so of course I said yes here.  We went to a sports bar type place, kid friendly. 
This is why I like being around A.  Because we were roommates, she’s seen me at my best and worst, she’s seen me without make-up, and we’ve had all those deep talks over mugs of coffee or bottles of wine. I don’t feel like I have to be “On” when I’m with her. I can just be myself.  It is easy being around A.  She’s also one of the nicest people I know, and, at least in our area, it’s much more “six degrees of A” than “six degrees of Kevin Bacon.”  But that means she’s busy, and I’m busy and we don’t get together nearly enough.  So this dinner out was perfect.  The baby is the cutest and was so good over dinner, and A and I were able to talk and catch up.  
I didn’t know it at the time, but there was going to be a bit of a theme through the rest of the dinners I had this week, and it started on Tuesday. Politics and Religion.  A and I are much more aligned politically than any of the other people I saw this week. There’s an ease there where, should the conversation turn that way, I don’t feel as though I either need to go on the defensive, or, in an effort to keep things light, simply not comment.   That’s something I’ve grown to appreciate.  
Another thing that makes Girls Nights Out with A so fun is that I’m guaranteed to laugh. And I love to laugh.  But A is also one of the few people I can be serious and authentic with, and I feel like she knows she can be that way with me.
It wasn’t a late night, baby needed bathing and bed, after all.  But it was such a pleasant night, as impromptu nights tend to be.  I like having that kind of friendship, where you can actually plan some things on the spur of the moment, without having to take out calendars to plan for weeks in advance.  Those are sometimes the best Girls Nights Out.


Also, note to self… plenty of guys hanging out here after work. Must file that away for future reference…