One Good Friend Deserves Another (28 page)

Only when the music filled the room with swirling lights and a rocking beat did the crowd around the couple disperse to rush the dance floor. Through the activity, Marta glimpsed a radiant Dhara ducking as she wove through the dancers toward the three of them clustered by the window. Behind her trailed a tall, grinning Desh, clasping her hand tightly.

“A happy bride,” Wendy stated, “should look like that.”

And she, Kelly, and Wendy—all three of them, all at once—threw their arms wide in welcome.

Novelists are thought to live solitary lives. That’s pure fiction. Like most of my colleagues, I live in a house full of children, on a street full of good neighbors, and in a working community teeming with fascinating people. My stories could never be written without help and guidance from these dear friends.

The first tip of the hat goes to the Sunday Evening Ladies, my darling critique group, whose insightful opinions are given with a dose of laughter and always make the book better. Thanks, too, to Shobhan Bantwal, a fabulous novelist who reviewed this manuscript with an eye toward Indian culture; to Carol Higgins, former volunteer EMT and current cardiothoracic nurse, who guided me through the thorny thicket of medical issues; and to Tom Donatelli, bon vivant, for nautical advice and raucous dinnertime conversation. Everything I did right is due to them; anything I did wrong is purely my own fault.

I’d also like to raise a huge huzzah to the folks at Grand Central Publishing. The foreign rights staff continues to do a mighty job selling my stories to far shores (and, yes, I’m sure we’ll convince those Frenchmen to stop laughing at my last name, eventually). I marvel at the creativity of the art department, the hard work of the marketing folks, and the energy of the sales staff. Thanks for doing such a wonderful job screaming from the rooftops.

Most of all, I’d like to express my gratitude to Alex Logan, strong advocate and editor extraordinaire. Thanks for adding this filly to your stable.

1. What’s your opinion of these women’s rules for relationships? How many of them have you followed? How many have you broken?
   
   1. Choose Your Own Man.
      
   2. Make Sure Your Friends Approve.
      
   3. No One-Night Stands.
      
   4. Trust Your Instincts.
      
   5. Never Make the Same Mistake Twice.
      
   6. After a Break-up, Wait Six Months Before Dating Again.
      
2. If you were to write five rules of your own for romantic relationships, what would they be? Do you think these rules are universal, or purely applicable to your own personal experiences? How do they compare with the rules written by others in your reading group?
   
3. During the course of this story each woman makes a huge leap of faith. Kelly, when she decides to let Trey back into her life; Dhara, when she decides on an arranged marriage; Wendy, when she determines to end her engagement to Parker; and, finally, Marta, when she decides to stop bullet-pointing her way through life. In your own life, have you ever decided not to follow what would be considered the logical path, and instead “embraced the chaos”? If so, what were the consequences, for better or worse?
   
4. All four of these women could be called “straddlers”—that is, they straddle two different worlds, ethnically, culturally, or socioeconomically. Is there anything in your background that can relate to this sense of dislocation?
   
5. In the beginning, Kelly is in awe of the privileges and possibilities that growing up in a wealthy family could provide, and only toward the end does she begin to realize the many intangible benefits she received growing up in a hard-working, blue-collar family. Think about your own particularly individual upbringings. What sort of intangible benefits—or detriments—came from your early formative experiences?
   
6. Which of the four characters do you relate to most, and why?
   
7. Dhara makes, by American standards, a very drastic choice when she allows her parents to arrange a marriage for her. How do you feel about her choice? Do you think it is possible to find happiness in such a union?
   
8. If your parents were arranging a marriage for you—or if you were to go speed-dating in search of a date—what sort of easy-to-determine qualities would you look for in a potential mate? How long is your list? What qualities would make your “absolutely not” list?
   
9. Kelly makes an enormous leap of faith when she decides to become involved with the man who treated her so terribly, years ago. How do you feel about her decision? Was she right to keep it from her friends? Do you think the relationship between Kelly and Trey could mature into something more lasting?
   
10. Marta struggles with issues of emotional intimacy, using sex as the primary vehicle to express her feelings. The pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage have left deep emotional scars. Do you think it is possible that Marta will find someone with whom she’ll feel comfortable enough to finally fall in love? Or could Marta be happier, ultimately, as a single woman?
    
11. Wendy arguably has the most difficult breakup in this novel. Does she handle it well? Would you have handled it differently? Is there any gentle way, really, to end a long-term relationship?
    
12. Wendy falls for Gabriel quite quickly, and the feelings appear mutual. Is she right to destroy a long-term, well-tested relationship for a sudden, unexpected surge of feeling for a relative stranger? Do you think, considering their disparate backgrounds, that Gabriel and Wendy could have a successful relationship?
    
13. Marta wants so very much to be accepted for who she is, but it seems every arena in which she arrives—at home, in high school, in law school, and at a large law firm—she’s the oddball. What is it about her three good friends from college that makes her relax her hypervigilant sense of oddity to finally enjoy some emotional intimacy?
    
14. During the time period of this novel, Cole struggles with some very serious demons. Do you feel that Dhara should have postponed the wedding to care for the man who’d been such a huge part of her life for so many years? Or did she make the right decision, making a clean break? If she had stayed with Cole, do you think, ultimately, they would have had a successful marriage?
    
15. Trey has some fundamental character flaws that are thwarting his ability to live successfully, both in his romantic and professional life. Do you think, at his age, he will be capable of recognizing these flaws and taking the necessary steps to change his life for the better?
    

I am a mother of three teenage daughters. They are smart, lovely young women who are the source of all joy—and chaos!—in my life. I didn’t write
One Good Friend Deserves Another
because I’m considering arranged marriages for them. But I’ll sheepishly confess that the thought has crossed my mind.

I can’t help myself. Like any mother, I feel the possibility of their future pain keenly. I wish I could protect them from heartbreak in the same the way I once protected them from scraped knees, burned fingers, and broken glass. I know that’s impossible. There isn’t a salve in the world that can mend a broken heart.

And I’ve yet to meet a woman who hasn’t experienced one.

Here’s the paradox: When I’m out to dinner with new friends, one of the first questions I ask is how the couple met. We all have our tales. Strange are the circumstances that can lead a German sailor to fall in love with an American college student while they both happen to be abroad in Spain. Or how an engaged woman could abruptly end her wedding plans after bumping into an old boyfriend at a high school reunion. Or how a rugby player could surrender his plans to enter a New York City law school just to follow his girl to the opposite coast. A moment of madness for which this now married woman is profoundly grateful.

All these tenuous connections, odd circumstances, and life-altering risks are precisely what led—improbably, impossibly—to the solid relationships many of my friends and I now cherish. Hearts thrive on chaos, in fiction as in life. What kind of existence would any of us lead, without that glorious unpredictability?

So this mother braces herself for the inevitable. I know my future sons-in-law are out there. I know my girls will eventually find them. Until then, I will do what any mother, and any friend, should do. I will breathe very slowly, keep my counsel until asked, and hope the fates are kind.

For what I really want for my daughters is a chance to experience wonder, joy, love…and to gather some breathtaking stories of their own.

The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship

“[A] life-affirming novel…A happy reminder that life is all about taking risks.”

—Publishers Weekly

“This well-written contemporary buddy book contains plenty of depth…the premise of friends knowing you at times better than you want to admit makes for a strong tale.”

—Midwest Book Review

“Quirky, original, and startlingly refreshing, this is a novel about friends. It’s a novel about risks. And it’s a novel about dreams, what we thought they were and what we discover them to be…[Higgins is] gifted and talented…Great novel. Great reading. Great characters and plot.”

—TheReviewBroads.com

“Ms. Higgins has a sure-to-be hit on her hands in this, her first foray into mainstream women’s literature. The first thing that was apparent to me was her astonishing storytelling capability, the second was her capacity to pull some deep emotions from me while reading…a heart-wrenching tale that will affect even the most stoic readers…a gracefully flowing narrative that will transport her readers from the most exotic of locations to the mundane of everyday life…an inspiring, heartwarming, and very emotional read.”

—GoodReads.com

“A lovely novel with moments of deeply moving insight into what it means to be a mother, a wife, and a friend. Read it and share it with your own friends—you’ll be glad you did!”

—Nancy Thayer,
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Hot Flash Club
and
Beachcombers

“Offering words of wisdom from a dying friend,
The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship
inspires us to focus on what’s really important in our lives.”

—Liza Palmer, international bestselling author
of
Conversations with the Fat Girl
and
A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents

“An amazing novel of love, friendship, and community. A truly joyous read that marks an impressive debut.”

—Jane Porter, author of
Flirting with
Forty
and
She’s Gone Country

“Poignant, romantic, and funny…about the need for our closest friends to occasionally give us a shove in the right direction when we’ve lost our way. You’ll recognize yourself in these women. I loved it.”

—Claire LaZebnik, author of
Knitting Under the Influence
and
If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home Now

“Expertly woven together by Lisa Verge Higgins…
simply but beautifully written
…
the common thread is Rachel, who has given the best gift a friend can give
—
a second chance.”

—
RomanceJunkies.com