So, I'm a bit behind schedule on some of these posts, and I still haven't gotten to "Too Hot!" part II, so my apologies, but this post has been sitting in my mind for a long time.
I think everyone, particularly those of us who don't completely trust our own judgement, needs one of those friends that you can always bounce things off of, and who you know is going to give you the response you need. You know like the friend who laughs at you for your faults instead of encouraging you to be better, or egging you on to be worse. You know, like the friend who listens to every story and gives feedback like she was right there. Like she knows all the people you're talking about, when, you know, she doesn't. Like the friend who occasionally pays for you even though you asked them to hang out with you. Like the friend who isn't afraid to yell at you when you race them on the road, and it's THEIR car that kills. Like the friend who listens to your dreams without laughing. That friend. That friend whose mom loves you dearly, and secretly hopes you'll marry one of her two daughters near your age. That friend who will tell you the right thing, even when they know you won't listen. That's the friend we all need.
I have one. And I call her my twin sister. We both have lazy eyes, and most weeks, we would celebrate our togetherness with half-priced milkshakes at cold stone.
I don't remember how the tradition started, but I know High School wouldn't have been the same without it. Cold Stone Creamery (where I worked for three months, and LOVED) has a deal where every Thursday, you get milkshakes for half the cost between certain hours. It got to the point that the girl behind the counter knew what we were there for each week and would get out a couple blenders as soon as we walked in.
I kissed more girls in High School than I care to talk about to most people. At the time, I thought this was really cool. Now I think that it was cool for the time, but I realize I hurt a lot feelings that way. But, the one constant was that each time I got tangled again, my twin sister would be right there listening to my stories. For a couple years we did this. I knew about her first kiss, and the crappy guy he turned out to be. I knew about her second kiss and the crappy guy HE turned out to be. I knew about her third kiss, and the fact that he was the one. Each time was another milkshake. Sometimes we got adventurous and got fruit smoothies. We'd always tip and try to convince the Cold Stone workers to sing the Banana Song. (If your local cold stone doesn't sing for tips, boycott them until they do. You don't know what you're missing.) But those days were always the best.
Now she's married, and going to school, and working, just like I am, and her spouse, and my spouse. We live in different states. It wouldn't be right to go out just the two of us, and we haven't really seen eachother much since I left on my mission and came home. But those days were some of the best. We all need a sound board. We all need someone to street race in our crappy cars (my MPV and her truck, or her car Mrs. Baretta). We all need someone to laugh and say, "OH my gosh, don't even tell me." when we start dumb stories. We all need someone who gets offended but not in an angry way when we're teasing them. And we all need someone who shows us that our weird physical quirks (lazy eyes?) aren't unique to just us. My twin sister was that, and, even though I never get to talk to her, I'll bet she still is.
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