A SHORT STORY

i wanted to relate a story about two people i know............

i have met a lot of people since becoming a sales associate at my store.  some have become my "fan club" and some i have become THEIR fan.  there are two older women, whom i will call "mutt and jeff" because they look like total opposites, who used to be close friends and never came in without the other one.

one of the women looks and acts just exactly like the hallmark card character, maxine.  she never really comes in dressed up, and sometimes even looks like a bag lady (sorry mutt!).  the other lady is always dressed up, to the nines, and is absolutely beautiful for a woman her age.  she reminds me of a classy gypsy, with all her bangles and chains and flowing butterfly skirts (gypsy jeff, lol).

i have known these two women for three years now.  like i said, one was never seen without the other.  then........about 2 months ago, i started seeing one without the other.  first it was mutt.  i didn't ask her anything about jeff, just talked with her as i checked her out at the register.  on another occasion i assisted her in finding something, and still said nothing about her friend. 

then, jeff came in one evening, and i couldn't help myself.  i asked her where was mutt and she got a teary look in her eyes and said they weren't speaking.  i told her i didn't want to know any details, just that whatever happened couldn't be bad enough to dissolve a long time friendship over.  she said she didn't know what to do, for she didn't know what the problem was.  so..........i repeated that it wasn't my business, but let bygones be bygones and get back together and be friends again.  she said she would try.

then one evening mutt came in again, and she even followed me back to the break room and sat down with me and started talking while i was on lunch (or supper, depending on how you look at it).  we were alone, so i gave her a little pep talk, and told her i didn't want to know what the original problem was, but that life was too short for people to do this to each other.  you can't choose family, but  you can friends, and obviously they had chosen each other years ago, so why lose that now.  she tried to tell me the situation and i told her i didn't want to know, for i know the story has two sides, and to me, neither are important.  both of you should quit acting like two-year-olds and apologize to each other, accept the other's apology, and rejoice in the fact you have such a good friend.  both of these ladies are up there in years, and life doesn't hand out promises, so their time could be short.  mutt has already experienced skin cancer.  i related to them the story of my best friend in high school who married and moved back to texas with her husband and died way too young.  i will never have her with me again, until i reach the pearly gates.

so, if you have a friend, or even a family member, who has wronged you, or you feel has wronged you, or if you have done something to them that has caused an estrangement, drop the pain, the anger, the hurt, get together, apologize to each other, accept the other's apology, and move forward in your relationship like adults, not children...........well actually children are more mature that we adults are.  they get mad at each other, bust each other in the nose, then go and buy each other ice cream cones.  maybe we could learn something from them..................

this story is for everyone out there, but i would like to send it especially to someone in my life..................she knows who she is....................so, joey, accept my apology and let  me back into your life.................i miss you.............