Oddball Soulmates

Luna looks out over the lake. She can hear laughter rolling down the hill, a laughter that feels familiar and brings comfort. A laughter that triggers memories from 20 years ago, memories she needs to tap into right now. Thankfully the ringlets of joy sliding into her ears bring her back effortlessly. As she sits at the lake house desk and picks up a pen and paper to write her speech, the memories come flooding back:

As a child, Luna had always been kind of a loner. Her personality was bubbly, so it was easy to like her, but for some reason no one ever wanted to get too close. Her friends have always meant the world to her, at first sight, and she thought the feelings were returned. Unfortunately, her piece never quite fit their puzzle. They would let her into the circle but still kept her at the edge, never fully opening their hearts to her the way Luna did them.

That is why Luna was often found walking the streets of her neighborhood, barefoot of course, and very likely chattering away happily to herself. She did this so often that the neighbors felt the need to alert her mom, who simply shook her head with exasperation. Stopping Luna from existing in her joyful, clueless, and barefoot world was pretty much impossible. So, even though it did not help Luna’s image as an odd child, her mom just let her wander. When her mom and aunts sat around her grandmother's kitchen table, she was a popular topic of conversation lined with confusion and hopelessness. Luna could often hear them ask each other what they were going to do about her but no one ever had an answer. She grew into a teenager and still the conversations remained the same, although the judgment got harsher.

What no one could ever seem to understand was that Luna only ever felt alive being her oddball self. Before the whispers and stares really started to take their toll, before she was shamed into hiding her true self, Luna was only ever completely content while wandering in not-so-quiet contemplation. She created a world where she found acceptance and validation; ignoring reality where she mostly felt rejected and judged. In her head were friends who appreciated Luna just as she was, and she thrived there, surrounded by support. It didn’t matter that this was all happening in her mind, it felt more real to Luna than any other world she knew.

Then one Saturday, Luna’s fantasy and reality seemed to meet. That morning held no scent of mystery as Luna began with her regular summer routine of breakfast while dodging her younger siblings' antics. They could smell the oddness on their sister and tended to keep her at a distance, just like everyone else. It used to hurt her but she was numbing to it now, at 13 years old, as her bubbly inside was slowly starting to dim and her hard shell beginning to form. As usual, she eventually grew tired of the din of the house, and found herself outside, where the fresh air filled her lungs with a sense of freedom. Some days she would bring a book with her and read while she walked, but this particular day she was happy inside her head. Daydreaming of the, so-called imaginary, friends she found comfort in, Luna strolled down the island that split her street’s road in half.

To say the voice behind her startled Luna would be an understatement. So deep in her own thoughts, she had not heard the short haired redhead walk up behind her. Honestly, Luna wasn’t sure her thoughts hadn’t manifested through her own voice while she stood there, but if the girl had heard her talking to herself, she did not let on.

“Hi! Can I dye your hair?” Luna never knew these words would make her jump so high. Turning to see smiling eyes shining with the light of joy, Luna felt transfixed and could hear herself responding without a thought, “Yeah sure!” Before she knew what was happening, the girl, who told Luna her name was Autumn, had a hold of Luna’s hand and was dragging her along. She quickly discovered that Autumn had just turned 13, lived across the street with her mom, and went to a school with which Luna wasn’t really familiar.

As they both laughed and bounced down the street to buy hair dye, Luna forgot all about what she had been doing moments before. She had always been someone who just bounded up to others and exclaimed loudly, “Can we be friends?” Every time the recipient of her affection was completely taken off guard yet couldn’t help but say yes. In this moment, she finally knew how that felt. It may not have been the same for each of the people she had approached, but for her it was pure delight and the feeling she so often chased: acceptance.

The day flew by in a blur of happiness. Even though the hair dying adventure had become a debacle, turning Luna’s long dark locks into a bleached mess of reds, oranges, and yellows, she remembered nothing but the bliss of having a new friend. Not just a friend but someone who truly wanted Luna to take part in life WITH her, not off to the side trailing behind. After the hair dye was revealed as a huge oops, both Luna and Autumn found themselves dissolving into heaps of laughter on Autumn’s bathroom floor. They quickly decided she now needed a haircut, and Luna soon found herself hand in hand with Autumn, skipping down the street to the local hair salon.They had stopped at Luna’s house to inform her mom, who tried her hardest not to laugh till the girls left but failed when Luna’s sisters’ laughter rang loudly through the house. Luna began to feel the flush of embarrassment reach her cheeks, but found it receding as soon as she looked at Autumn, who was taking all the blame and promising to have Luna looking gorgeous again soon. Luna had pulled Autumn from the house after that, knowing her sisters wouldn’t take kindly to anyone calling Luna gorgeous.

The craziest part of the whole exchange, however, was that Luna knew Autumn meant every word she spoke. There was no sarcasm in her voice or joking in her eyes: Autumn actually thought Luna was gorgeous, which almost had Luna believing it too. This girl was everything Luna wanted to be: funny, confident, and unafraid to just live.

As the two girls were heading home from the salon, with Luna’s new stylish cut and now completely normal and radiant red hair gleaming in the sun, she felt fear tickle at her heart. What if Autumn isn’t feeling what she’s feeling? What if Luna misread the whole day? Doom and gloom threatened to barge into Luna’s mind, but Autumn seemed to read her thoughts and smiled. “This has been the best day! I’m so glad I got the nerve to talk to you! I’ve seen you on the street for weeks but you always look so happy, I thought you’d be too cool to hang out with me. But you’re the best! Want to walk to the park with me tomorrow and read under the trees?”

Luna struggled to not let her confusion show on her face. Autumn thought she was cool? Autumn found LUNA intimidating? This can’t be real! Had her daydreams seeped into reality? Was this even happening? She quietly pinched her leg where Autumn wouldn’t notice to be sure she wasn’t dreaming. As the pain seared through her thigh, she nodded, hoping Autumn wouldn’t notice her shock. “That sounds perfect! I can’t believe you thought I was too cool! You are too cool! So YEAH, let’s be cool and read together!” Luna bit her lip to stop the words tumbling from her lips. ‘Ok girl,’ she thought to herself, ‘none of that was cool. Relax.’

Thankfully, Autumn never seemed to notice and just picked up rambling where Luna had left off… Is this how it felt to have a friend? A real, not-forced, actually-liked-her friend? Luna could get used to this! She smiled as Autumn’s words changed into contagious laughter that spread to Luna’s diaphragm. Joy, pure joy, sure feels good. She had found her oddball soulmate and, Luna simply knew, life was about to get a whole lot more interesting and enjoyable.

As the memories of laughter fade from her mind, Luna is pulled from her reverie by the sound of shoes on the stairs leading down to the lake house. Autumn’s voice is heard above the others, telling everyone that its time to get ready for the rehearsal dinner. Luna quickly puts away her speech, still a work in progress, as her best friend’s energy fills the room before she does. “LUNA! Don’t tell me you are still working on that silly speech! My wedding is tomorrow. Go take a shower! I need my maid of honor looking her best tonight! I’m getting married tomorrow!” She sings the last line in her opera voice, in true Autumn fashion, as she sweeps back out of the room to get ready herself. All Luna can do is smile as that familiar feeling fills her heart, the same one she always feels when Autumn is near: joy, pure joy. Sure feels good.