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Except. There was a lot of people there when we arrived, I didn't notice most of them at first. So Charleen was showing us her house and we walked down a hallway and at the end of the hallway... Oh dear God. NO! Harmony was there. I'm choosing this particular pseudonym from the Buffy show as usual, and though she looks nothing like Harmony at all she does have that same ANNOYING WHINY VOICE. I have known Harmony since high school, we hung out in the same "group" along with Charlene too. Harmony played a big part in my life back then and partially shaped who I am today. So why haven't you heard about her? Most of you know one of my biggest rules in life is this: I don't like mean people. If you're a mean person, stay away from me. I will not pretend to like you. I will not try to make you like me. I don't care if you don't like me. I don't have time in my life to waste trying to make mean people like me. from my About Me page (which needs updating but it's like 500 entries ago and impossible for me to find and edit). And I have to tell you, Harmony is the basis for that rule. As hard as I'm trying right now, I don't even know how to describe Harmony to you. I kept trying to explain to Buffy why I have issues with Harmony (Buffy was having her own issues with little Harmony Jr who wouldn't stop whining and being an annoying little brat the entire party). Harmony was my friend, we hung out together, we were never enemies (well, except for a period of about 6 months). She was nice, she never meant to hurt anyone, and yet she was also annoying, bossy, and MANIPULATIVE. THERE. THAT's the word I was looking for. And I was manipulated by her for most of my high school days. So were many people. Although she wasn't one of the "Popular" kids, she did have some sort of wierd control over all of us - like who we should and should not be going out with, who we should be friends with, etc. Typical high school stuff that everyone goes through and then gets over. And I would love to say you should just go through high school following the same rule I listed above, just find your own friends and ignore the mean people, but face it, that doesn't work in high school. Mean people in high school can pretty much rule your life whether you like it or not. And so Harmony did rule my life, all our lives. When we went to the drive-in movies she brought a portable TV and told us to BE QUIET while she watched "Fantasy Island", and we did. She told us to give her our food at lunch and we did. She told my boyfriend to break up with me because I was a "white girl" (he was filipino) and he did (we got back together later that week). Like I said, she was also my friend and had even more influence in my life. She is the one who first brought me to church and she was there for me when that boyfriend really did break up with me. I am grateful to her for many things. But when we finished high school, I finished with mean, manipulative people. When you become an adult and go on to shape your OWN life, you finally have a choice as to whether you want these types of people with you. And I choose not to. I see Harmony every so often, usually at some event Charlene has organized, and I avoid her at all cost. I don't go near her, I don't look at her, I don't talk to her. She whines to Charlene that I don't talk to her but she doesn't try to communicate with me either. I don't really have anything against her now. I know it's been twenty years and I should get over it all ready, but the truth is I AM over it. But she stands for a time in my life when I let people tell me what to do and she is someone who at times hurt me very very much. She is no longer that person, just as I am no longer that meek little girl, but those memories will never die. "Harmony's complaining that you won't talk to her," said Charlene again last night. "I had NO idea she was going to be here," I said, "It didn't even occur to me until I saw her and then I thought 'AAAK!'" "I know, I didn't want to tell you because then I knew you..." Yeah, I may not have come. Only I *would* have come because I can't miss her son's first birthday no matter what, just like I would never have missed her wedding. Charleen was having her own issues with Harmony. Issue Number One: Harmony Jr was driving everyone home because of her high pitched whining. Would. Not. Stop. She wanted to open the presents, she wanted to play with the presents, she wanted everyone's food, she wanted to jump all over the couches, she wanted to wake up the baby (and did), she was generally running WILD all over the house while Harmony SAT THERE AND DID NOTHING. According to Charleen, Harmony Jr is like that All The Time. I would have been MORTIFIED if my kids had ever acted like that. "Did I ever act like that?" asked Buffy, who was just BOGGLED at what she was seeing. "If you had ever acted like that we would have had a nice little talk in the bathroom," I told her. Her eyes when wide in understanding, she remembers what those "talks" in the bathroom entailed. Issue Number Two: Everyone was leaving the party EXCEPT Harmony and kids. It was 6:00pm and Harmony was planted on the couch as Harmony Jr was STILL running wild all over the place. Charlene had to pull me and Spike and Buffy into her bedroom so she could rant for awhile. "How long do I have to keep us all back here before she gets the hint that the PARTY'S OVER????" said a very frazzled and tired Charlene. "I called her and told her before the party that if she comes she better understand that I AM NOT FEEDING HER DINNER. DO NOT expect me to feed you and your family dinner! It's just a kid's party, NO DINNER." Now, is this or is this not one of the most embarrassing things a friend can call you up to tell you? "Do not come to my party expecting me to feed you dinner because I know you're going to stick your butt on my sofa and not move until I invite you to stay for dinner even though I've spent all freakin day putting on a birthday party for my own son and would really like to take a nap and do not have the time or energy to make you something to eat afterward so at 5pm could you please remember to pack up your kids and GO HOME." So... annoying, selfish, whiny, greedy and manipulative Harmony has grown up, multiplied herself, refuses to take any control over said offspring, and really hasn't changed much. I wonder why I still don't want to talk to her. By the way, Guess who's pregnant again? ***** Question of the day: Will anyone be able to outbid the Crazy Elf Loving Lady on my Mushroom Lamp?
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