BEDA 14: A Story!

Greetings!

Since I have to work today and have no time to actually write an entire blog, I'd like to instead share a short story I wrote you guys!

Booyah!

Giraffes

We walked in through the sliding doors of the Wal-Mart. The floors were muddy in the antechamber of the store. Dirty carpets littered the entrance and random blue carts crowded us as we pushed through the main entrance.

A little, old lady, standing steady on a cane held out a yellow sticker with Wal-Mart’s customary smiley face.

“Welcome to Wal-Mart,” she said, her voice trembling.

Alison flipped her blonde hair back and took the sticker graciously.

“Stickers are so much fun,” she said as we walked on. Alison towered over little Taryn. She was small, her tight brown curls danced and bounced as she glided through the store gracefully. Every time I saw Taryn, I smiled on the inside. Being around her energized me.

The purpose of our excursion to Wal-Mart was so Alison, my oldest childhood friend, and Taryn, my new next door neighbor and friend, could meet. It was going to be fun I thought.

As we walked up to a shelf of books, Taryn squealed with delight. She grabbed my arm tightly, hugging it almost. We hadn’t known each other long, but I was really comfortable being around her. I didn’t mind her being so close and invading my personal space – I welcomed it even.

“John Green!” Taryn said, finally. She released me and walked over to the shelf picking up a copy of Looking for Alaska. “I love this book and I love John Green.”

“One of the Vlog Brothers?” Alison asked.

“You know them?” I asked. Alison was the last person I expected to be hip to YouTube vlogs. Especially the Vlog Brothers, who were famous just for being nerds and having a cult following of nerds – Like Taryn and me.

Alison shrugged. “Yeah, they’re alright,” she said dismissively. “I watched them on National Coming Out Day and it kinda turned me off though.”

“Why? Isn’t it so cool how they talk about people loving people? I think so,” Taryn said with a smile.

Alison cringed. “Well, what do you think, Olivia?”

“Uh, well, you know, I like Hank and John Green,” I said, changing the subject. Taryn being who she was and Alison being who she was gave me good reason to do so.

“What’s wrong with people loving people?” Taryn asked, more seriously this time.

“Nothing as long as guys like girls and vice versa,” Alison said. We moved out of the book aisle and I prayed that we’d left the issue there with the paperbacks.

“Why?” Taryn asked.

We’d wandered into the toy aisle where stuffed animals lined the walls. I picked up a stuffed penguin from the shelf and felt its soft fur as Taryn and Alison went on.

“Because, it’s not natural,” Alison said. “And what does it matter anyway?”

Taryn pulled her hair back to reveal big, hoop, rainbow earrings which she affectionately called her gay pride earrings.

“Oh,” Alison said, looking at Taryn with disgust in her eyes.

Taryn stood next to me, a scowl gracing her pretty face, her crystal blue eyes narrowed angrily on Alison.

“There’s nothing wrong with being gay,” Taryn said.

“It’s weird. It doesn’t work,” Alison said. “Right, Olivia?”

There it was – the one question I didn’t want directed at me.

I sat the penguin back on its shelf and took a few steps away from both of my friends, thinking seriously.

I looked at Alison. I’d known her since we were grade school. Her friendship meant the world to me. She’d always been there for me and there wasn’t a thing in the world we couldn’t talk about.

I shifted my glance toward Taryn. She’d only just moved in next door in August, but she knew and understood me completely. She was smart, funny, honest, beautiful and I couldn’t imagine what I would ever do without her. It was a painful thought that I might not be able to be close to her one day.

I looked up in front of me and saw two happy looking giraffes. Now was the time for me to get it together and to be perfectly honest about what I thought. I grabbed the giraffes off the shelf and held them out in front of Alison’s face.

“What?” Alison asked, staring at the two fuzzy characters I’d placed in front of her.

“This is me,” I said shaking one giraffe, “a giraffe. And this is Taryn, another giraffes and there is nothing wrong with giraffes loving giraffes. I’m a giraffe who loves a giraffe, Alison.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Giraffes love giraffes. People love people and it’s okay,” I said.

“Olivia. . . What are you saying?” Alison asked.

“She’s a lesbian, Alison,” Taryn said, gently, almost in a whisper.

Alison stared back at me and I nodded.

“And even if I weren’t, I’d still think it were okay,” I said.

Alison shook her head and started to walk away. I felt helpless for a moment, until Taryn ushered me to go after her.

I dashed off, pushing past little kids as I went out of the toy aisle to the front of the store at the checkout.

“Alison, come on,” I said putting my hand on her shoulder after I caught up to her.

She quickly spun around, blinding me in a flurry of blonde locks.

“No! What?!” she asked. “Taryn moves in next door and you suddenly become gay? Are you serious?”

I hung my head down a bit. I’d never heard her yell at me before. A knot was forming in my chest. My best friend hated me. Patrons walking past with their children and friends stared in wonder as she yelled.

“I always have been. . . I just. . . I never said anything,” I said.

Alison shook her head again, trying to shake away my confession. She went back to the antechamber.

“Alison, you’re my best friend. You can’t hate me. Not for this. You can’t hate me because of the people I care about,” I pleaded.

Alison didn’t turn around to me. She stared through the giant glass windows and shook her head. “Goodbye, Olivia.”

She walked through the sliding doors, not bothering to stop or look back.

I felt tears rushing to my eyes. I felt abandoned.

Then a warm hand wrapped around mine. I looked over to see Taryn, giving me an encouraging smile. Without even saying a word, she told me it would be okay.

Fare thee well,

April