My friend Kathy and I decided it would be a nice opportunity to introduce my friend, Betty, who’s 94, to Kathy’s 95-year-old mother, Rose.

Betty is the Italian grandmother you’ve always wanted, whom I first introduced to Warwick Beacon readers and was known as the babysitter of Warwick Neck. She was the wife of the late Fireman Third Class Clifford Belmore of the United States Coast Guard.

Working at a five-and-dime at 15 years old, Betty met Cliff, then 19, whose family owned the pharmacy next door. He asked her what pots and pans the store did not carry as a reason to linger longer. Her mom ended up walking her to the movies so Betty could meet Cliff there without her father knowing. Betty and Cliff were married for 44 years.

Rose was the wife of the late Cranston Police Detective Robert Nunes. She met her future husband of 63 years while they were both working at Browne and Sharp. Their first date was a movie, too.

Her adult granddaughter once asked her, “Did Grandpa kiss you on your first date?” to which Rose replied, “Of course he did – who wouldn’t?!” With her two daughters grown, Rose worked at CVS until her retirement.

One day in early March, I was putting the finishing touches on the dining room table, thinking of my special guests of honor, Betty and Rose. When they arrived, my friend Kathy and I smiled as we watched a new friendship begin to blossom. They compared numbers – of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as we four visited over tea and scones.

Our more recent gathering was at Betty’s over a summer luncheon, painstakingly prepared by Betty and her daughter, who confided Betty was so excited about the visit that she woke early, already having set the table with her special linens and dishes a day in advance.

“You’re never too old to make new friends,” my mom once reassured me. Betty and Rose are testament to this truth. Born just a little over a year apart in the smallest state, perhaps they crossed paths once or twice.

Betty was born Nov. 13, 1930, in Warren, while Rose was born Nov. 28, 1929, in East Providence. Betty, the youngest of 12, was born to Italian immigrants, and Rose was the middle child of five, the daughter of Portuguese immigrants.

Betty is the talkative one, eager to bring out the wedding album of a young bride whom she babysat many years ago.

Rose inquires about a particular photo while Betty provides further explanation.

Watching them, the two ladies seem as if they’ve known each other forever.

What’s next for Betty and Rose? I’m thinking of a November birthday party, complete with cake … and 191 candles.

A California transplant now living in Warwick, Erin O’Brien is an occasional contributor to this paper.