Good Friends

So, I had a bit of a morning.  A long-time friend asked me to write a character affidavit for her in the custody battle she's having with her ex.  I chose not to do it.  Not because I don't love her or that's she's not a good friend, but because the father is actually the better parent of the two.  He's more responsible, more attentive and seems to put their son first all the time.  She's not a bad mother, she loves her son, I know she does, but she's not the most responsible individual in the world and sometimes her son ends up taking a backseat to whatever else is going on in her life.  It was hard.  I debated and I thought about it a lot and it took me a few days before I could actually work up the nerve to tell her no.  I'm not sure I did it as eloquently as I could have, but I did try.  She's my friend and I care about her, but kids have to come first, right?  I'm not sure she's going to be able to forgive me ever for saying no and I'll honestly be very surprised if she does, but I thought it was the right decision.  The right thing to do. Saying it sounds so simple doesn't it?  Do what you think is right.  It should be easy, second nature, in fact, but I've found in some situations, such as this, what is right is so damn difficult to do.  I lost a friend and I was crying and feeling downright miserable, when I emailed an online friend.  One that I tend to email frequently on those bad days, or when there's something I want to discuss, or when I need a pick-me-up or for no real reason at all really.  It helped, it always helps.  Then, three of us (two online friends and I) began to banter back and forth and tease one another.  We always tease and I was laughing.  Honest to go belly laughing.  I love that even when you're having a crap day there are those friends that can kind of pick you up and make you feel a bit more normal.  I have two online friends that I tend to email more than anyone else and I love them, they brighten my days with their wise ass remarks and peculiar humor.  It's strange to me, in a way, that two friends that know me better than most have never even met me, but I won't question it.  Good friends are hard to find and I'll take 'em any way they come!