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I've had five, bringing joy to boring jobs. The name is cringey and old-fashioned, but they're VIP relationships.
A birthday card arrived yesterday from my second work wife - it's 20 years since our first shift together at Wine Rack in Dulwich. She taught me the ropes, and we bonded over 'cups of tea' (you can't recommend a wine to a customer unless you've tried it, a few times.) Eight-hour shifts, so we had plenty of time for deep conversations about everything. I thought she was super glam: tall and blonde in her sharp grey suits (she worked 9-5 in a Japanese bank), and she'd bring in baked fish for supper.
She was my north star and confidante and made me feel at home in London. I enjoyed those shifts more than my 'proper jobs' because we had fun and I had a tribe and community. Whenever I drink wine, I think about our ‘cups of tea', and when we chat, we pick up from where we let off, no dramas. I'm happy she's still in my life.
Are wo…