If Opposites Attract, Then We Were Meant to Be
Friends?
"Oh," I said simply not knowing what else to do or say.
"Yeah so um, what's your name... Let me guess, Brittney or maybe Ashley?" he said with a sigh.
"No my name isn't Brittney..." I started to reply.
"So it is Ashley," he stated interrupting me.
"Please your interrupting me, no my name isn't Brittney OR Ashley," I replied.
"Then what is it," he cried clearly agitated.
"If I tell you does that make us like... friends?" I questioned.
"I guess, I mean if you want to be," he answered.
"Okay, uh I'm Samantha, Samantha Kratzer."
"And I'm Billie," he said grinning broadly.
"So I've heard," I said giggling.
"Yeah so can I call you Sam?" he asked starting to give the puppy dog eyes no one can resist.
"No," I said laughing.
"What! But-but why I-I gave the puppy dog eyes and I thought we were friends," he exclaimed with a sarcastic look of shock on his face.
"Billie you've only just met me and I only let special people like family and close friends call me Sam."
"My-my momma says, she's says that I'm very special," he pretended to cry as he air quoted 'very special'. "She says exactly this: 'Billie boy you are a crème filled doughnut, sweet on the outside and extra-special on the inside'" he said holding a hand to his heart and looking up at the blue Californian sky as if he were saying the pledge.
"Oh, Billie! I'm so sorry," I said quickly.
"Sorry for what?" he asked me looking very confused.
"You were looking up at the sky and I thought maybe your mom had passed away or something."
"What! No my mom's not dead she's right over there," he said pointing at a woman who was bent over a bed of flowers across the street.
"Oops sorry," I mumbled.
"Its fine really it's just that you reminded me of my dad just now," he muttered.
"What about him?" I inquired, genuinely interested.
"He is the one that died, about six years ago and when you mumbled that you reminded me of him he was always mumbling so my mom called him 'Mumbler','" he said his joyful face wiped away and replaced with a look of pure sadness.
"Well now I'm really sorry for your loss, trust me I know how you must be feeling right now." I replied mimicking his look of sadness.
"You don't have to say that just like everyone else I know you don't really understand and your just trying to make me feel better its okay. I just wish that no one said that. You know what I mean?" his eyes locking with mine as he tried to hide a sniffle.
"No really I do when I was eight," and so I began my story my voice wavering.
"Oh I-I didn't know, my condolences," Billie stammered.
"It's ok, and thanks," I answered wiping the tears that had formed but not fallen.
"We're friends that's what friends are for, to be the shoulder you cry on." And with that statement he broke into song wailing at the top of his lungs. "LEAN ON ME WHEN YOUR NOT STRONG AND I'LL BE YOUR FRIEND I'LL HELP YOU CARRY ON," he crooned.
"Billie, Billie, BILLIE!" I shouted as neighbors began to come out of their front doors to see what the commotion was about.
"Wha-What did I do something wrong?" he cocked his head from side to side just like my dog used do.
"No I, I guess not but you are attracting a lot of unwanted attention from the neighbors," I said closing my eyes and rubbing my temples.
"Yeah so um, what's your name... Let me guess, Brittney or maybe Ashley?" he said with a sigh.
"No my name isn't Brittney..." I started to reply.
"So it is Ashley," he stated interrupting me.
"Please your interrupting me, no my name isn't Brittney OR Ashley," I replied.
"Then what is it," he cried clearly agitated.
"If I tell you does that make us like... friends?" I questioned.
"I guess, I mean if you want to be," he answered.
"Okay, uh I'm Samantha, Samantha Kratzer."
"And I'm Billie," he said grinning broadly.
"So I've heard," I said giggling.
"Yeah so can I call you Sam?" he asked starting to give the puppy dog eyes no one can resist.
"No," I said laughing.
"What! But-but why I-I gave the puppy dog eyes and I thought we were friends," he exclaimed with a sarcastic look of shock on his face.
"Billie you've only just met me and I only let special people like family and close friends call me Sam."
"My-my momma says, she's says that I'm very special," he pretended to cry as he air quoted 'very special'. "She says exactly this: 'Billie boy you are a crème filled doughnut, sweet on the outside and extra-special on the inside'" he said holding a hand to his heart and looking up at the blue Californian sky as if he were saying the pledge.
"Oh, Billie! I'm so sorry," I said quickly.
"Sorry for what?" he asked me looking very confused.
"You were looking up at the sky and I thought maybe your mom had passed away or something."
"What! No my mom's not dead she's right over there," he said pointing at a woman who was bent over a bed of flowers across the street.
"Oops sorry," I mumbled.
"Its fine really it's just that you reminded me of my dad just now," he muttered.
"What about him?" I inquired, genuinely interested.
"He is the one that died, about six years ago and when you mumbled that you reminded me of him he was always mumbling so my mom called him 'Mumbler','" he said his joyful face wiped away and replaced with a look of pure sadness.
"Well now I'm really sorry for your loss, trust me I know how you must be feeling right now." I replied mimicking his look of sadness.
"You don't have to say that just like everyone else I know you don't really understand and your just trying to make me feel better its okay. I just wish that no one said that. You know what I mean?" his eyes locking with mine as he tried to hide a sniffle.
"No really I do when I was eight," and so I began my story my voice wavering.
"Oh I-I didn't know, my condolences," Billie stammered.
"It's ok, and thanks," I answered wiping the tears that had formed but not fallen.
"We're friends that's what friends are for, to be the shoulder you cry on." And with that statement he broke into song wailing at the top of his lungs. "LEAN ON ME WHEN YOUR NOT STRONG AND I'LL BE YOUR FRIEND I'LL HELP YOU CARRY ON," he crooned.
"Billie, Billie, BILLIE!" I shouted as neighbors began to come out of their front doors to see what the commotion was about.
"Wha-What did I do something wrong?" he cocked his head from side to side just like my dog used do.
"No I, I guess not but you are attracting a lot of unwanted attention from the neighbors," I said closing my eyes and rubbing my temples.