Glad and Glo

            Gladys and Gloria had been friends since their first day of kindergarten.  Gloria was the quiet and thoughtful girl while Gladys was the more outgoing and vivacious one. They hit it off right away. Everyone thought it must have been because opposites attract. But Gladys wanted to have Gloria on her side because she let her be the star of the show. Gloria didn’t demand that people always look at her and listen to her every word. Gladys on the other hand, thrived on attention and adoration. They were the perfect match. They complemented one another and genuinely liked each other’s company.

            Their friends quickly came to call them Glad and Glo. It suited them to a T. Gladys was positive and hopeful and was always ready to try new things and experiences. She saw things as they really were and was tolerant and accepting. Gloria was very cautious by nature. She wanted to test the waters before she jumped in, especially when it came to new people and situations.  It wasn’t that she wasn’t as trusting as Gladys. She just needed to get to know people before she could be herself completely. She felt that others were judging her so she had to be on her best behavior. Gladys flew by the seat of her pants. She said and did things without thinking about them. She was spontaneous and fun to be with. Gloria made others nervous, although it would have made her sad to know it. She thought of herself as a nice person who would do anything for anyone.  It was hard

for her to obtain friends. Most of her friends were Gladys’ friends by association.

            Whenever they were at a social gathering, if Gladys left the room, there was usually an uncomfortable silence until she returned. Gloria didn’t know why that happened. It was just a sudden tension in the air when Gladys was not there. Gloria thought about it and analyzed it on numerous occasions but couldn’t come up with a reason or a solution to the annoying dilemma. It didn’t happen that often so it was not a huge problem for her. It just would have been nice to have something prepared for the times when it did happen.

            Gladys was slightly jealous of Gloria’s ability to see situations and intuit feelings and emotions. She thought that her nickname of Glo was perfect for her because in her mind, Gloria did actually glow with an intensity that she didn’t possess herself. She thought of herself as mostly a shallow person without much depth. Gloria, on the other hand, had layers and layers of complex nuances. Gladys didn’t see herself as others saw her, as a fun person to be with. She did have a lot of people who enjoyed her company but she thought it was for entertainment sake and not for enlightenment. It would have been nice if people came to her with questions they needed answers to. She didn’t notice that no one went to Gloria with questions either. When Gloria said something, it was usually heavy with meaning. At least that was how Gladys saw it. When Gloria spoke, Gladys listened. She didn’t know why people weren’t lined up at the door to listen to Gloria but they weren’t.

            Their physical appearance coincided with their personalities. Gladys, who was fun loving had wavy, blonde hair and a peachy complexion. She looked like someone who loved the outdoors and got a lot of fresh air and sunshine to go with her bouncy disposition. Gloria had an olive complexion and baby fine, dark brown hair that flew away even if there was no wind. It wasn’t a rich mahogany or honey brown color. It was more the color of wet ashes. Gladys tried to talk her into coloring it or adding highlights but Gloria was firm about staying the way she had been born. She had no piercings or tattoos which all of the people they knew had had at least one or the other. She wore no makeup or nail polish. She also owned no jewelry.

            “I’m going out the same way I came in,” Gloria would say when Gladys suggested a change.

            “There’s nothing wrong with tweaking things a little,” Gladys would say to her friend. “It’s fun. You should try it. Fun is a good thing.”

            “I don’t see it as fun,” Gloria said to her puzzled friend. “I see it as defacement. You don’t see birds flying around with paint on their beaks or diamonds hanging from their wings. They don’t need it because it isn’t necessary.”

            “How did you become the way you are?” Gladys asked, not meaning it in a cruel way but an honest interest in something she couldn’t quite grasp.

            “I don’t know,” Gloria answered honestly, “but I’ve always felt strongly about being the best I can be with what I have to work with.”

            “Well, I love change!” Gladys exclaimed, “and lots of it!”

            “Do you think it fulfills a need you have?” Gloria asked.

            “Yes it does,” Gladys replied, “My need for excitement. I don’t have a problem with that at all.”

            They would have conversations like that all the time but only between the two of them.

            When they were in high school, they had different boys interested in them. That made it easier on their friendship. They never had to compete with each other or worry that the boy they were interested in would want to date the other. Gloria was never worried about the boys who were interested in her. She knew they wouldn’t be going anywhere else for attention.

            “If a guy is meant to be with me, he will be,” Gloria said pragmatically. “If we’re supposed to stay together, we will.”

            “I’m always worried that a guy I like will find someone better.” Gladys shared, “After a while, I also think there might be someone better out there just waiting for me to find him.”

            “You’ll never find anyone to settle down with that way,” Gloria said, “You have to make up your mind and stick with one person.”

            “It’s the ‘settling’ part that worries me the most.” Gladys said, “I don’t want to think that I am making a decision I might regret some day.”

            “If you think there is a perfect person out there, you’ll be disappointed,” Gloria announced.

            “Maybe there is a perfect person just for me,” suggested Gladys. “And I won’t be disappointed if I keep looking for him.”

            “If that’s how you want to spend your life,” Gloria said leaving it an open ended statement.

            “That’s what makes life interesting,” Gladys said, “You never know what will be around the corner to discover.”