Odyssey:
Cherished Friends
The Barbies were at it
again. As soon as they found out about the cute way Cole asked
Chloe to the dance, jealousy invaded them. Sheena, one of the
Barbies, pulled Cole aside in class and began to talk with him.
"Chloe told me that she doesn't
want to go to the ball with you. But she felt bad because you
worked so hard in the way you asked her that she felt guilty. So
she said yes," Sheena fabricated.
"No way! She was so excited
when I asked her, Sheena. I don't believe you," Cole retorted.
"Fine. Have it your
way. I just thought you should know because I wouldn't want to go
to a dance with someone who didn't want to go with me!" Sheena said,
desperately trying to persuade him. "I, on the other hand, would
love to go with you!"
"I need to talk to Chloe," Cole
simply replied.
At lunch, Cole approached Chloe
and asked her about the conversation he had shared with Sheena.
Of course, Chloe denied everything Sheena had said because it all was
false. But Chloe could tell that Cole was not totally
convinced. Chloe called her good friend Laura to tell her what
the Barbies had done this time and Laura said she'd take care of
it.
Laura messaged Cole on Facebook
telling him that she knew how excited Chloe was when Cole asked her to
the dance. She also told him that Chloe hadn't a clue that this
message even existed, but that Laura just wanted Cole to know the
actual truth. This message worked. Cole believed what Laura
had told him and decided to forget about Sheena and the rest of the
Barbies too.
After Chloe found out about the
messages between Cole and Laura, she felt a little betrayed because
Laura didn't ask her first. So, of course, she asked her mother
for advice.
"Mom, do you think I am wrong to
feel betrayed in this situation? I mean, I know she did it
because she had my best interests in mind, but she didn't even tell me
she was going to write to him!" Chloe asked.
"Oh Chloe. I really do
think Laura was trying to help... which she did! You have nothing
to be angry or upset about. Plus, friendship is one of the most
important things there is. You would be a totally different
person without your best friend Laura. And she would not be the
same without you. This reminds me of another story about
Odysseus. Wanna hear it?" her mother asked hopefully.
"Ugh. I guess, mom!" Chloe
said, hoping to sound annoyed because she secretly loved these stories.
"Alright. This story is about
Odysseus and his dear friend Iphitus. Odysseus had been
staying in luxurious quarters at Pherae, which was a fabulously nice
town.
One night, a stranger appeared named Iphitus. He informed
Odysseus and the others that he was on a journey to Lacedaemon.
Immediately after hearing the stranger's name, Odysseus asked him if he
remembered Laertes.
"I could never
forget noble-hearted Laertes. He was my messmate, my bedfellow,
and my friend. There is no man I love more dearly," Iphitus
replied emotionally.
Odysseus told
him that Laertes was his father and the stranger was filled with
joy. After this, the two men exchanged stories and became great
friends over time. One day, Odysseus asked his cherished friend
about the bow that he always had with him. Iphitus replied that
the bow was his father's and carried with it great meaning.
Wanting to show how much the friendship meant to him, Odysseus gave
Iphitus the sharp sword and shield that had belonged to Odysseus's
father. Iphitus, then presented Odysseus with the bow. The
told each other that they cherished each other's friendship more than
any others."
"See, sweetie. You should
appreciate Laura and the friendship you share. It is very rare,"
Chloe's mother concluded.
"You're right, mom. I might
even get Laura a little gift to show her that I appreciate her and I'm
sorry for getting angry," Chloe replied.
"That sounds nice!" her mother
agreed.
At the dance, Chloe decided to text message her best pal Laura and tell
her how much fun she was having. Finally, Chloe was pleased with
the way things were going in her life. She had a best friend, a
great family, and a sweet boyfriend.
Author's note: In this
episode, I told the story of The
Bow of Eurytus. I
wanted this story to be different than the past two. So I decided
to make this one about friendship instead of dating
relationships. I also wanted my last story to be a little bit
deeper--not so shallow. I kept the original story very much the
same. However, I left out a lot of detail about the two men
becoming better friends. I also left out the lengthy description
of the bow and why it is so important. I tried to keep the story
more about Laura and Chloe's friendship rather than Chloe's
relationship with Cole. I was going for the "friends are forever,
boys will come and go" thing.
Bibliography: James
Baldwin. A Story of the Golden Age of Greek Heroes. New
York. Charles Scribner's Sons. 1905. link.
Image: Best Friend Charm
URL: link