Former friend M

I moved to Texas in ninth grade, and one of my first "friends" was M (name changed to protect the innocent). I guess we had class together, we sat next to each other in band (both played the clarinet), and we sat next to each other at lunch. I spent the night at her house, though I can't remember her coming to mine. We didn't stay friends after ninth grade, though, because she was interested in boys in a very different level than I was (dating 17-year-olds, etc.) and she wasn't as interested in academic excellence as I was. I was in Honors and AP classes, and she was not in my classes--I'm actually not sure what her academic track was. I also was in the top band sophomore year, and M wasn't. Personally, I thought she tried too hard to be "cool" with her always too-red lipstick and too-dark eye makeup. I just didn't care.

It's been 11 or more years. I honestly haven't given much thought to her since ninth grade--except for a couple mentions of her living across the street from a later friend of mine. She friended me on Facebook recently and I have been looking through her profile. People are allowed to surprise you, right? She went to TCU and double majored in political science and French. Her favorite books are one in French (never heard of it) and Hemingway. Hemingway? I never would have guessed. It makes me think that maybe I am/was shallow in my estimation of her lo those many years ago. She's a teacher now, who enjoys belly dancing! (Sounds familiar.) But then, maybe I wasn't. She is a single mother. Never married. Her different level of interest of boys was obviously not in my imagination.

Anyway, the point of this post is that I'm sad that maybe I misjudged her, that maybe we could have had intellectual conversations, that maybe we could have been friends, despite our differences, but for my snobbery, my goody-two-shoes-ness. Oh, well.