The Green Wife

Today I had to go pick up a spool of ribbon…a very specific spool of ribbon. No browsing or decision making required. Just an in-and-out trip to Hobby Lobby. Shayne just dropped me off and then proceeded to drive the kids around the parking lot until I came back out.

I ran in (it’s cold!), went straight to the spool I needed and was on my way to check out when I saw a very familiar face headed for the same checkout line. Had my chauffeur not been anxiously awaiting my return, this would have been one of those run-ins I would have avoided by abrubtly turning down a floral aisle and ducking until the coast was clear, but today was not a day that I had that luxury. I put on a smile and said a big hello to her…..Miss Popularity from my school days. From kindergarten to senior year, she ruled as ‘the popular girl’. She was pretty, sweet, smart and oh-so-perfect. Always. The kind of girl you couldn’t help but like…and resent a little. She looked fabulous…as always. She flashed a big smile and we made small talk as we waited in line. She had had a new baby girl since the last time I saw her, so that gave us something to chat about other than the ‘What have you been doing for the past 13 years?’ weirdness that nobody wants to get into. We had completely run out of things to say and were standing there at risk of a highly awkward moment of silence when we both blurted out, “Hey, we should get together some time and let the girls play!”

Really?

Yes, we had been friends. We cheered together (shhh! Don’t EVER speak of that again! ) and had sleepovers, but we just never had that type of friendship that just clicked. So now, 13 years later, we’re speaking of attempting to rekindle something that was never really there?

Who knows? Maybe one of us will decide to make that call and plan a playdate of sorts. Maybe now that we’re in our 30s (really? wow.) and we have motherhood in common, we could really have a great visit? Who knows? It could be great! But most likely, it was just an empty promise made in an awkward moment. And I think deep down, we both recognized that fact and accepted it.

Strange, though, how you can look into a face that has aged 13 years….13 years without seeing that face…..and it’s still so familiar…and so comfortable. Life is fun that way, I suppose.