All the Friends You Can Make From a Smile

If Twyla met Fatima... 

The tension reaching across the small coffee shop table was buzzing like a live electric fence waiting to electrocute someone. After Twyla had started attending Fatima’s yoga classes, Biniam noticed the competitiveness between the two women and suggested they get to know each other better before one of them got hurt trying to out-yoga the other.

“so, Biniam said you’ve been doing his yoga classes for a while, you seem pretty practiced.”

Fatima barely looked up from stirring her coffee to reply, “It’s therapeutic, makes me more aware of my body”.

Twyla’s “yeah. I get that.” plunged them into silence once again.

Both women turned to see two young girls walk by on the sidewalk outside the window of the coffee shop. The girls glared at each other as their mother scolded them. As Twyla turned back to face Fatima, she realized how stupid their reluctance to make friends was. She took a deep breath, preparing to say something about their petty competition and looked up to see Fatima’s face relax and slowly form a smile.

“We’re no better than them, are we?” Twyla said.

Fatima shook her head, still smiling, and said, “I’m not sure if it’s because of my childhood that I always feel the need to prove myself, or just my lack of self-confidence, but I apologize.”

“me too,” came the gentle reply.

       As Twyla and Fatima fell into a more natural conversation, they began to see the similarities between them and how their very different stories have formed them into very similar people.

       A few days later, before the start of his yoga class, Biniam smiled to himself as he saw two women smiling and conversing, sharing a friendship built on understanding.