We all have that one friend. You know, the tall one with blonde hair and pretty eyes, but one your closest friends, the one who when you and go out to lunch all the guys try their luck or stare. Well, I am not that person. I am the "other one." Before I get accused of a throwing myself a pity party, let me explain. I am not complaining, but actually grateful. I was shorter than her, had black wavy hair and caramel-like skin but was more curvy and like her, I loved makeup and we would spend hours in Sephora picking out the perfect lipstick for her. To be honest, I was jealous of all the different lipsticks she could rock with her skin tone while I had to be careful to avoid looking like a clown.
Here's how it started, My friend and I went out to Ann Arbor for lunch and she was dressed to the nines with a bright red lipstick (which I picked out). I tried my best to look nice, too, knowing that the University of Michigan campus was merely a few blocks away. On our little walk to a nice Korean restaurant nearby, I could not help but notice three guys behind us who were just there; one of them was pretty cute. I stood up straight and tried my best to seem confident despite my heels killing my feet. Suddenly, this guy runs from behind us and blocks our path and holds out his hand. This was my moment right? To say "Hi?" But his eyes moved to the right of me where he introduced himself to my friend. It wasn't anything much, he just introduced himself and how he thought she was very pretty and if she was interested in going out with him. She kindly declined and he just smiled and went back to meet his friends. She was a bit awkward the rest of our walk to the but moreover I was upset. I was upset that no one ever asked for my name or told me that I was pretty or anything like that when she was around, because compared to the tall blonde I was just the other one. After a few incidents like these over the past few months, I was hesitant to go anywhere but still did because she is one of my best friends until an incident at an Asian grocery store turned my view point around.
It started around the same way as the Ann Arbor scene but this man was around his late 30s or early 40s, and it wasn't a simple encounter. He made up some weird story that a gypsy told him that he would meet a blonde girl with red lipstick in an Asian food mart and he should ask her out for martinis. My friend turned him down but this guy was persistent and was coming up with excuses to go out with him despite her rejection. The situation was getting very uncomfortable and for once, I was glad that I wasn't her. After a few minutes, I decided that I needed to do something and emphasized that we have to go home. I gave him a glare before grabbing her hand and finding an aisle we could hide in until he left the store.
It was a sudden decision and never had I pulled such a impulsive move before, but it got me thinking. Maybe it was OK to be the ugly friend and if I could be there for my friends, it didn't matter what I looked like or who paid attention to me. I was being ridiculous for wanting to be hit on without acknowledging that not everyone is going to be a really good-looking, polite college guy. I am perfectly happy with being ignored until I actually want to talk to someone and until that time comes, I will just sit back and watch life play out and secretly thank myself for being the "other one."
