Civil Unity

Candace and I were actually becoming civil. She'd asked me to lunch twice. And we'd gone to the mall together one afternoon. It was nice. I mean, we weren't on the fast track to being besties, but it was nice to know that we were friends. And I didn't have to avoid her like the plague.


She told me the history of the Jarrett character over lunch one day at Maki Fresh. His dad and her dad were business partners. He was the cool older guy. For years they'd been around each other for work things and family gatherings. Their families were super close. One night at a Christmas cocktail party he told her that she'd turned into "a ten." I'm sorry, if a guy told me that, I'd laugh and walk off. But that's the difference between her and me, I suppose. They snuck off and hooked up in the back of Santa's sleigh in someone's front yard. Y'all--I can't make this stuff up!!! Anyway, he started pursuing her pretty hotly for several weeks.


She thought everything was coming up roses, when he stopped responding to her texts. He stopped calling. She even saw him out once and he acted like he didn't see her. He finally grew a pair and told her that he actually had a girlfriend, and he was really happy with his girlfriend. And, to add insult to injury, he told her she was a terrible kisser. Like what kind of jerk says that stuff?


Anyway, she's still under his spell. Even now. When he's pulled this stunt twice. It just breaks my heart. She's not the kindest girl I've ever met, but she doesn't deserve that. At all. No one does.


One night we were watching My Best Friend's Wedding and she looked at me. "I'm just so jealous of people who have found their other. Like you. Mark is yours. Kimmy has Michael. And hell, Even Julianne has George. I've got a box of Sour Worms."


I shook my head. "No. You have friends. You will find a guy, it just takes time. Boys are not the end all be all. Sure, it sucks when you see people getting attention you want, but you wouldn't want their person. You've got to go find your person. Go search it out. Make mistakes. Find guys who are jerks. That way you can really appreciate the super sweet ones. It sounds ridiculous, but you have to have some bad to appreciate the good. Otherwise you might pass up something really awesome."


She sighed. "Kathleen, please stop giving such good advice. It makes me feel really bad about where I am in my own self actualization."


I laughed to myself. That's funny. She thinks I'm self actualized. What does she know? I'm still afraid to ask the guy next to me in English comp for the notes I missed last week while fighting a bad case of the Monday's in Mark's arms.


It's funny how other people see you. It really is.