This is the twenty-seventh part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII, Part XIV, Part XV, Part XVI, Part XVII, Part XVIII, Part XIX, Part XX, Part XXI, Part XXII, Part XXIII, Part XXIV, Part XXV, and Part XXVI before continuing.
But apparently Glenda had meant her apology. The next time I was invited to a family function, she made a point of sitting down next to me and asking me about my favorite Disney princess. For a moment I was taken aback before I remembered I had told Owen I was a Disney fan when he started talking about the annual trips to Disney World his family would take. I just wanted him to think I would fit in (and to eventually weasel my way into a free trip to Disney World, if I’m being honest.)
I had completely forgotten I had said that, and I certainly hadn’t expected him to pass the word on to Glenda. Crap, what had I told Owen?
“Cinderella,” I said, the answer coming to me as I remembered I had chosen the one that looked most like me because I thought that seemed plausible. It was also the most well-known and recognizable Disney princess, so it fit with the Basic Bitch persona I was cultivating. “How about yours?”
“Belle.”
A brunette who loves to read. Who’d have guessed.
“Although the Stockholm Syndrome is pretty problematic, but I love it anyway.”
I cocked my head as I considered this. “I had never thought of it that way.”
“Are you kidding? He keeps her locked up in his castle and she falls in love with him? It’s textbook Stockholm Syndrome. That and the fact that the sorceress cursed him so he would learn not to be so shallow, but he still ends up falling for a beautiful woman, so how does that prove he hasn’t learned his lesson? It proves she’s not shallow, but she wasn’t the one who pissed off a sorceress in disguise.”
“You’ve thought about this a lot more than I have,” I admitted.
“I just think it’s weird the stuff we just accept as kids that, once we grow up, we’re able to look at in a different way and see how messed up it really is.”
“I guess.”
“Cinderella’s not too bad, though. I mean, aside from the fact that she’s totally passive and the prince can’t recognize her unless she’s wearing the same shoes she was wearing when they met.”
I couldn’t help but giggle. “Yeah, that is pretty messed up. But, it is a fairy tale. You can only expect so much.”
“True. So, what is it you like so much about Cinderella? Why is she your favorite?”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s just the idea of a girl who has nothing getting whisked away by a handsome prince to live happily ever after in his castle.” As I said it, I realized it was true. I couldn’t wait to escape my miserable home, and I was on the lookout for a prince to save me and make sure I would never have to return.
“Yeah, who doesn’t love that fantasy?”
“I know, right? I mean, it’s universal for a reason.”
“True. Well, I’m gonna go get some cake. You want some?”
“Um, sure.”
She nodded and headed for the dessert table. On her way I saw her bump into Owen (literally.) They shared an exchange and he nodded and smiled before heading over to me, still smiling. Now what had she said?
“Hey, you,” he said.
“Hey, cutie.”
He smiled with pleasure and I waited a beat before saying, “What did Glenda say to you just now?”
“She just gave you the seal of approval.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Told you they just needed to get to know you.”
To be continued…