Tall World After All: When your Bestie’s in town

Hosting a Bestie is almost not hosting at all. Of course you aim for a presentable house, a full fridge, and fun times, but if the pillowcase doesn’t get ironed, you run out of milk, or you work late and just don’t want to go out again, your bestie will understand.

The fact that your bestie knows all about you makes her an even better guest: she won’t talk to you as soon as you wake up because she knows you don’t like talking until you are a little bit more “awake”. She will finish packing your lunch while you search madly for your other earring. She will not bat an eye when you sprinkle salt on your cantaloupe. And she might even be able to tell what mood you’re in by your outfit choice (mine can).

Of course there is always laundry to do and dishes to put away, but when your bestie is your guest, you can do all of that stuff as you visit. Your bestie will probably even pitch in so you can finish faster and get on to more important things like singing along to your old favourite songs and hunting for conversation pieces in bargain shops.

Sailor Girl was in town twice in the last month, and while the motive behind her trip was less than thrilling, I was nonetheless thrilled to see her. We caught up over copious amounts of tea and coffee. We threw together meals and ate as we gushed over Gwyneth’s hair in Sliding Doors for the umpteenth time. We went to Hugh’s Notting Hill haunts, sniggering at outrageous t-shirt slogans and agreeing that Hugh should really try a villainous role for a change. We spent an afternoon perusing magazines and painting our nails. We went to yoga and relaxed by the pool. Yes, hosting a bestie is the best.

Now Sailor Girl is gone and new guests have arrived. While I am slightly more concerned about pressed bed linen and the state of the fridge, I’m trying to keep the bestie-vibe alive. So far this has resulted in my being the first person in bed. It means no tidy-dash in the dark and no midnight mirror clean. It means making reservations on busy nights and proudly serving fruit and cheese on your favourite plate when you’re not up for cooking. It’s a shift from environment-driven hosting to something based on interaction.