This was supposed to be the best part of my day. Eating at Frank’s Diner, my favorite guilty pleasure spot in Brooklyn, after reflecting on all the cash I made signing autographs for gullible idiots. What’s that saying about a fool and his money (old people say it all the time)? Instead, I’m sitting next to my best friend, who won’t even talk to me after my encounter with that fan, and feeling horrible. It feels like I’m the worst person on the planet. Okay, I’m prone to exaggeration. More like the worst person in Brooklyn.
For some reason, the booth lacks its usual intimate characteristic today. Meylin’s Freddy Krueger glove is placed in the small space between us. My Mom is seated in front of us and, for her part, hasn’t noticed the underlying tension between Meylin and I.
“Let me guess, Autumn. You’re going to order your usual bacon cheeseburger.” Mom quips as she looks up from her menu.
“Yeah.” I’m not really in the mood for conversation.
“How about you, Meylin? What looks good?”
“Grilled cheese.” Meylin says.
“Well, I guess I’ll be the only one eating anything healthy at this table. On second thought, I don’t even think the Cesar salad here can be classified as nutritious. I just hope it’s edible this time.”
Meylin cracks a smile; I know she’s doing it just to be polite towards my Mom.
“So, you girls have been quiet. I understand. All that energy and excitement can really drain you. You remember when you went to your first convention, Autumn? It was to promote the release of Zombie Graveyard. The question and answer panel.” Mom explains.
“I remember, Mom.”
“Have I told you this story before, Meylin?”
Meylin shakes her head no while rubbing her eyes.
“The convention was also at the Jacob Javits Center but it was the comic con, I believe. I can’t keep all the conventions straight. Was it the comic con, Autumn?”
”You love telling this story but you can’t get the convention right?” I feel my irritation returning.
“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, Autumn had trouble staying awake during the panel (we had to be there early in the morning to setup). I have to show you the video, one of these days, of Autumn nodding off and snapping back to attention every few minutes. Luckily for her, she didn’t get a lot of questions from the audience. However, on the ride home, Autumn slept in her father’s arms until we reached our apartment.”
I barely stifle a groan as my mother recounts the same story she tells every time I work a convention. Maybe the money isn’t that good, after all. At this point, I just want to go home. Not even the thought of eating a juicy cheeseburger, on my cheat day since I rarely eat meat, can cheer me up. You try enjoying your day when your best friend loses their respect for you.
Things fail to improve once our meals arrive, even though my Mom becomes so focused on her salad that she thankfully forgets about inflicting casual conversation on us. I bite into my cheeseburger while hoping that Meylin is still a fast eater. The sooner I can get out of here, the better. And I thought the convention was a nightmare.
“I’ll be right back, girls. I’m just going to the restroom.” Mom announces as she gets up and walks away from our table.
My heart sinks as I dread being alone with Meylin; even it’s just for a couple of minutes. I sneak a glance towards Meylin but her eyes are fixated on the potato chip that she’s about to deposit into her mouth. She still wants nothing to do with me, obviously. I really can’t take this tension anymore. It’s driving me crazy.
You know what? This is just silly. Meylin has been my best friend since third grade. She had my back against Jessica when almost everyone else didn’t. Whatever happened with that fan, someone that Meylin doesn’t even know, it shouldn’t break up our friendship. Okay, I was a jerk. Fine. I get it but Meylin needs to understand what it’s like when people get in your space, all the time. Like they’re entitled to you, or something, just because they bought a ticket to your movie or watch you on TV. And look, she gave me the creeps, okay. Should I have handled the situation a little differently (since she obviously had something wrong with her)? Yeah. Live and learn, I guess. Whatever. I guess I have to be the bigger person and make first contact, as usual.
“Are you upset because of how I talked to that fan?” I ask Meylin with a calm tone of voice. Another good thing about being a trained actor, I can normally hide my anxiety.
“You were a colossal jerk for no reason. She just… she was so nervous. Couldn’t you tell? And you basically treated her like garbage.” Meylin explains to me with her eyes still locked on her sandwich.
“I guess that’s what trash does, right? Treats others like garbage.”
My revelation, that I knew what she called me under her breath, finally draws Meylin’s eyes away from her plate and towards me.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just…it really made me angry seeing someone treated like that. I know you’re tired but, I don’t know, I think you should have handled it better.” Meylin confesses with a sad expression on her face.
“Look, I get what you’re saying, Meylin. I do. The fact is though, you don’t understand having people approach you all the time. Like for an autograph or wanting to be your friend (even when they don’t even know you). It’s constant. And now, because of Spirit Scribe, it’s gotten worse. Much worse.”
“I know that. I’ve seen it too. And…”
“You’re right about something, though. I was tired. I was on that convention floor since nine this morning. I signed autographs for, like, at least a hundred people or more.”
“I know.”
“I was exhausted, okay. And, you know, I thought I was home free. The convention was over and I was outside. I was ready to just breathe a little. Then, all of a sudden, this very strange woman approaches me out of nowhere. I mean, with her stutter, I thought I was going to be there all day.” I explain while hoping that Meylin understands what I’m saying.
“I get that, Autumn, but after everything you went through with Jessica. I just thought you’d have more patience for people with disabilities.”
“I’ll work on that. We cool?”
“Yeah. We’re good.”
That is a tremendous weight off my shoulders. Feeling a lot better since Meylin and I are okay now. I don’t have to live with the thought that Meylin thinks I’m some kind of jerk or something. And, hopefully, she has a better understanding of what I go through on a daily basis without being so quick to judge.
“Hey. I was just thinking…” Meylin begins with a potato chip stuffed in her mouth. She always talks with her mouth full. Always.
“Yeah?”
“Well, you were saying that you’d work on being more accepting of people with mental disabilities (or whatever they call it). How about you put up your own streaming channel where you can, like, interview people with those conditions.”
“What? Interview people?”
“Yeah, think about it. You can spread awareness and, at the same time, really help people.”
That might not be a bad idea, actually. It has the potential to really strengthen my brand, especially in light of the whole situation with Jessica. I mean, if Jessica’s bullying helped land me the starring role in Spirit Scribe, imagine what this can do. Just think of the endless possibilities.
Link to Chapter 1: https://medium.com/@baltimoreraven87/being-special-chapter-1-b5e175dc0d00
