Icebergs

Sometimes we come across people who surprise us; who, like an iceberg, have put up an icy facade, yet with more hiding beneath the surface that we initially expect. The sexy blond 20-something who also sings opera, perhaps, or the bodybuilder with a fondness for fondue and kittens instead of beer and bulldogs. I can think of at least one person specifically who is like this, who looks very much like she "should" behave one way, but who instead manages to behave both the way she appears as well as in a much deeper, "meaningful" way (as far as society would define it, anyway).

Other times we encounter people who are not so deep; they are not "icebergs," where only a fraction of who they are shows through at the surface. They turn out to be the blue-cold people their surfaces portray, more like icicles hanging from a frozen gutter - simultaneously fragile and dangerous.

I encountered one of these people today, one of those icicles, and it made me sad. We had been friends, and had some sort of falling out. I've written about this before, and I apologize; I don't have many friends, so losing one causes perhaps more anxiety than it would for others. Anyway, another acquaintance (of mine, who doesn't know this person) asked me, "Does she hate you?" He meant it jokingly, but it startled me. I had to tell him I have no idea; I have no idea why we aren't friends, or what her feelings are towards me, or what happened to sever the communication.

I reached out to this person today, to offer congratulations, a wish of good luck, and a tidbit of advice about an upcoming event... and was surprised...

Surprised because all I got was the icicle - the pointy end, at that. Words like "professionalism" and "sincerely," "appreciate" and "honestly," which make me think the person is not interested in being professional, acting with sincerity, expressing appreciation, or being honest.

I worry, now, about the outcome of the aforementioned upcoming event, as it could put me in closer contact with the iciclegirl... and I seem to have lost my mittens.