BETTY

For the purpose of this exercise my friend wants to remain anonymous since she fears the paparazzi will chase her. So I will call her Betty.
I got to know Betty when we both worked for a medium size hotel chain.
I worked in the restaurant and Betty was on reception.
I'm trying to find the right word to best describe Betty, she is so many things in one, she is bubbly, friendly, funny, open, sometimes brutally honest, ditsy, smart, streetwise, loyal, caring. Yes the list is actually endless.
We got talking one Wednesday evening when the hotel was quiet, well i say we, Betty talked, because I think that is what defines her the most, she only stops talking when she falls asleep, and I say that in an affectionate way.

Betty is a fashonista and tried her best to teach me how to dress and what clothes are "in" at the moment.
I remember one night we bumped into each other rather drunk and when she asked if I was having a good time I laughed and said: "Yes, I'm off work, I'm drunk and I'm wearing my favourite shoes, what more can a girl want?"
Betty looked at my shoes, looked at me, then looked at my shoes again.
Then turned to her friend and said something, and then turned to me again and said:
"Right I'm taking you shopping, those shoes are not good"

Now, just reading that makes Betty sound like a complete bitch, but she isn't, she has a way of saying things that makes you feel good about yourself even if you might just have been insulted.
So off we went, shopping.
Betty is of the philosophy "the higher the better" when it comes to shoes, but that has never worked for me, I'm like a new born calf, on ice.
But Betty was adamant that I needed at least one pair of semi high heels in my wardrobe, so after many trials and error I ended up with three pairs that I loved and could walk in.

Betty and her friend, who I will call Chlorine for the same reasons as above, introduced me to "stalking" boys.
This doesn't mean stalking in its true form, you wouldn't catch us sitting across the road, wearing big sun glasses, with a bag of doughnuts in our laps, but we would drive past the house where the boy we fancied at the time lived.
Just to see if his car was outside, his light was on or if we might catch him making a cup of tea in his kitchen.
Just reading this must make us sound completely crazy, but to be honest I think most people have done this at some point in their lives, just driving around in someones car, listening to music, talking to your friends.
For some reason it can sometimes be easier to talk about serious things whilst you drive than sitting face to face with someone.

It was during this time I got involved with Mr B (B is the first letter in his surname but it also stands for Bastard)
When I think about him now I really don't know what the attraction was to be honest. I think he gave me attention, and i fell for it, and by the time he showed me his true colours i was already in love with him.
I tried to be hard and mean to him, but its not in my nature so I just ended up making a fool of myself, clinging on to him for no other reason than I wanted to be loved and I thought: "If I just love him enough, his heart will soften and he will love me back".
I fell pregnant with Mr B's child, but he told me it wasn't his baby, and that I was a whore, he would never have anything to do with the baby or with me if i decided to keep it, and he threatened to perform the abortion himself on me.
I wouldn't have an abortion, but I think in a way I was lucky to miscarry the baby.

Through this time Betty was there, always with encouraging words and endless cups of tea or glasses of vodka, whatever I needed that day. We talked a lot about Mr B and she built my confidence so that I broke the contact with him and never looked back.
If you were to ask her about it, she would laugh and say that she did nothing no one else wouldn't have done, but that was my lowest point and I wouldn't have made it without Betty and her way of spreading happiness around her.

Betty can also drink most men under the table, or she could in those days anyway.
One night I was determinded to keep up with her, drinking as many Reef's as she did, and boy was i ill that night and next day..
Betty woke me up at 2pm, saying: "Look! I have missed 2 meals, I'm starving!! You have to take me home!" There was no way i could drive, so she drove my car to her house via Burger King "drive through" and I nearly threw up in the queue. We came home to Betty's house and i crashed in her sisters bed and slept for another 2 hours, after which I felt fine and could drive myself home again.


Even if I had a camera and knew how to work it, for obvious reasons I cant put a photo of Betty here, that would make the whole exercise of calling her Betty in the first place pointless.
But i will leave you with our favourite song.
We were in the royal one night (the place to be) when it was first released, I was wearing red trousers and a red low cut top, I cant remember what Betty was wearing but something black with something denim rings a bell.
We were busting the grooves to this song and got a lot of attention from the opposite sex.
Enjoy!
And Betty, you are the best, love ya.