The Sinking of the Good Ship Friendship

So Melinda tells me that Christy contacted her asking for advice on the whole Maggi-Christy melodrama (yes, there's singing.  I know people often use the term "melodrama" with the intent of the newer, accepted although technically incorrect definition, but I am using it in the traditional sense.  With me, there is always singing).  I had this big long post written about what it takes to maintain a friendship, what can cause one to sink into nothing, and my personal thoughts on the topic, but it suddenly hit me that it came down to one single thing.  Faith.  I believed in our friendship enough that when I walked into that bridal shower, I was still expecting to see her there.  I had every faith in her that she wouldn't possibly do something knowing how much it would hurt me, she wouldn't possibly betray my trust in her.  Caitlin was the only one who picked up on my reaction and emailed me later to see if I was okay.  I'm glad that Mandy didn't notice because I was trying so hard to not let on.  I didn't want her feelings to be hurt when I knew how hard she had worked to put together a lovely day, and I would never want her to know that my most prominent memory of that whole day is still walking in the door and feeling like there wasn't any air in my lungs.  How could she NOT be there?  Barring someone's death, I can't even imagine not going to something after she told me how important it was to her.  She doesn't understand that it's not about ruining a shower.  It's about ruining faith.  I just don't know how to get that back, how to restore something so intangible, so delicate.  In the words of Miranda Hobbes, "You broke us.  What we had is broken."  And the Brooklyn Bridge is such a long ways away...