One Word Answers

The half persian is a shy and nearly withdrawn cat - black with a silver undercoat, fluffy from head to tail and huge round eyes. She has been in residence several years but is just now beginning to open up. I watch her emerge from under the bed, cautiously take measure of what she sees and decide it's safe, then take a few steps toward me. She is a lovely animal but very much a loner, retreating at the first sign of the black dog, skittering away at any sort of commotion and keeping her thoughts to herself. This is a cat who values privacy, the protection of darkness, and the quiet side of her own nature. She will sometimes curl up in my lap and consent to being stroked but she remains alert and distant. Winning her over has been long and hard won fight but well worth it.

In a prior lifetime, my friend Tricia invested that same kind of effort with me. I arrived in the south wanting only to stay hidden behind a husband and a family name. My social skills were rusted, I distrusted small talk, hated crowds, new people terrified me. I felt I would be discovered if I were to reveal anything about my past and in my heart I knew I had married mostly for the wrong reasons. I worried I would be exposed every time I opened my mouth to speak so silence and one word answers seemed the least treacherous course. I knew I wasn't worth anyone's efforts. Tricia, however, patiently kept on engaging me, pushing me, forcing me - just as she still does - and in the end, she overcame me. It was easier to give into friendship than keep fighting.

She has since seen me through divorces, job losses, and all the rages and resentments of every day life. She supports, fusses, scolds, encourages, praises and empathizes. Her advice - whether I follow it or not - is almost always sound and it's a huge comfort to know that she's on my side. She has stuck with me, restoring my faith in the integrity of friendship and its possibilities and always there with a kleenex, an aspirin, a kind word, or a hug.
Friendship does not come easy to me - like the half persian, I tread lightly and watch for danger around every corner, always careful to hold back just a little, just in case.