That's what friends ARE FOR

If her pal needed her, Jo would be there to pick up the pieces

- Christine Pinfold

As Maddie’s best friend, little did I know just how strained our relationship was to become. Thrown into the mix was her daughter Carly, and Vincent Poole – womaniser par excellence.

Carly, a bright young woman, lives and works out of town, doing very nicely for herself in advertising, working hard and climbing the ranks. However, as Carly’s godmother, I have a responsibility, especially when Maddie needs her daughter most. And Carly really wasn’t delivering on that front, which was confirmed during a particular phone call between us regarding her mother.

‘Look, Jo,’ Carly said. ‘I really can’t make any of the evenings.’

‘But surely you can make one of them…?’ I could feel the irritation rising in my voice.

‘No, I can’t get there. Mum understands.’

Mum understands. Of course, Maddie would have given her daughter that impression, not wanting to upset her. I can hear her now… ‘Never mind, sweetheart, it can’t be helped.’ Maddie, I know, didn’t want to appear a ‘needy parent’, but was, in my opinion, far too lenient with Carly.

Maddie was just about to star in her first stage production, and her daughter couldn’t find the time to come to the show – which was running for five evenings.

After a period of near isolation following her divorce, I had managed to persuade Maddie to join our local theatre society.

It hadn’t been easy since the divorce, when her husband of 20 odd years had run off with someone else. Although sympathising with her mother’s plight, Carly never seemed to find the time to visit or even phone Maddie much. But Maddie was always on the defensive. ‘She’s so busy with her job and her friends…’

But I wasn’t going to let Carly off the hook that easily… ‘Carly, dear, I really think that you should pay your mum more attention, give her your support. She hardly ever hears from you.’

There, it was said. Perhaps I’d crossed a line as the interfering godmother.