Cut from a Different Cloth
There are some people in our lives who have the innate ability to make us laugh. They untie the strings that bind us so tightly together and stop us from taking ourselves too seriously. They tease the hell out of us, tickle our funny bone, and put a smile on our face all at the same time. My friend Robin is guilty of all three.
Living in the same condominium building for over ten years, Robin and I became good friends. We’d pass each other on the stairs running to and from work, or wherever else we were headed.
Simple “Hi’s” morphed into mind blowing conversations such as the strange smell coming from apt. C2, or the downstairs neighbor whose new dog Pee Wee could pass for a small mountain bear.
Robin was the perfect bookend to my more reserved and quiet self. She hated predictability. I thrived on it. She traveled extensively for her job. I was chained to my desk. She started sweating when the temperature rose to 65. I’d look for another sweater to wear under my coat. But what I liked most about Robin was her ability to shake loose her inhibitions and embrace the moment.
It was Easter Sunday and I invited Robin to mass. But what I grew accustomed to in my church every Sunday, had taken Robin by surprise. She didn’t know that our one and only female singer was in desperate need of voice lessons. Not only did her high- pitched voice make you wish you had stuffed large cotton balls into your ears, it was impossible for her to stay on key.
As we both listened to her special rendition of “Amazing Grace”, Robin’s face turned red. Then her shoulders began to shake. She sank further down into her seat trying to bury her head into her hands hanging on to what little composure she had left. She couldn’t stop laughing.
She looked up at me with pleading eyes to somehow try and make the singing stop. Seeing that helpless look on her face, I dug my nails into my arm trying my best to keep from laughing too. But it was no use, we both succumbed to our inner child and came undone. No amount of “Amazing Grace” could save us.
Alice Barbera
