Story 13
Three college friends have some encounters that seem somewhat odd, but learn that the word “odd” can mean many different things.
Odd Is Just a Word
“Look at that goofy girl. She has a cloth on her head,” Kate Peters said.
“Kate!” Cassie Beezo scolded. “You shouldn’t call her goofy. Wearing a head covering is part of her culture. That’s no goofier for her than it is for us to wear jeans.”
“Are you nuts?” Kate asked. “Wearing a cloth on your head is not like wearing jeans. I still say she’s odd.”
“Come on, Kate,” Cassie said. “You don’t even know her. You should talk to her and get to know her. You would probably forget she even covers her head.”
“I doubt that. Anyhow, I’m sure glad I don’t have to hide my hair,” Kate said.
“Me, too,” Cassie said. “But, it’s not right to make fun of her because she hides hers.”
“Oh, gosh!” Kate said, laughing. “Look at that oddball over there. She keeps waving at the teacher. What’s with her?”
“Can’t you accept people who are different from you? She’s not waving at the teacher. She has a nerve problem,” Cassie said. Cassie and Kate lived in the same apartment building. They were both college students. They had the same class, so they were sitting together. Cassie continued, “I had a customer at work today who kept crying. Even though she seemed a little odd, I did my best to help her. I worked with her to find an outfit that fit her. She was so happy and thankful. She told me that she had a fear of shopping. No one had ever kept helping her before. I was glad I didn’t give up on her just because she was odd.”
“What was she crying about?” Kate asked.
“She was afraid. I know it sounds crazy, but I could tell it was very real fear. She usually orders her clothes by mail. But, she needed something quickly,” Cassie explained.
“I’m sure glad you like all of the odd people who shop there,” Kate said.
“I do have to be careful of the super odd ones. A guy tried to kiss me in the dressing room last week. I sure didn’t like him! I slapped him as hard as I could.”
“Did you know him?”
“No, he was just a stranger. I was lucky that my boss was nearby. He saw the guy and grabbed him by the shirt. The guy ran out of the store. Really creepy,” Cassie said.
The two stopped talking when class started. After class, they walked home. At their building, they saw their neighbor, Rya, leaving. Kate asked, “Where are you going, Rya?”
“I’m going to work out,” Rya answered.
“Work out?” Cassie asked in surprise. “Your hair looks like you just washed and styled it. And you are wearing makeup and perfume. That’s an odd way to get ready to work out.”
“Well,” Rya smiled as her eyes got big, “there’s this guy I’ve been talking to at the gym. I’m going to ask him out today. So, I couldn’t go there all grubby and with oily hair.”
“What’s he look like?” Cassie asked.
“He’s tall, has blonde hair, and always wears nice shorts. Even when it’s cold, he’s got shorts on,” Rya said. Rya went on her way. Cassie and Kate got into the elevator. Cassie left at the 12th floor and Kate went on up to Room 1753.
About 15 minutes later, Kate called Cassie. “Hey, do you want to go over and work out? Maybe we’ll get to see this guy that Rya likes.”
“Sure! I was going to work out tonight anyhow. So, I might as well go now so I can see him. I’ll meet you in the lobby in five minutes.”
At the gym, the girls looked around the large room. They saw Rya on a bike. She was talking to a guy on the bike next to hers. Cassie and Kate went over and got on some treadmills close to the bikes. The one Kate was on quit working. So, she moved over one. Cassie leaned over and whispered, “I think he’s into her.”
“Oh, darn!” Kate said, “they’re leaving.” Rya and the guy walked away. Cassie and Kate watched the two of them walk into the men’s locker room.
Cassie said, “Talk about odd!” Then, Rya came running back out. Her face was all red. She looked up at the sign that said “Men.” Cassie said, “Why would he go into the guys’ locker room when she’s talking to him? I sure hope that guy wasn’t trying to get rid of her.”
“We’d better go see if she’s OK,” Kate said. The two girls went over to Rya.
Rya smiled kind of sadly, “You two are here to check him out, aren’t you? I was just about ready to ask him out. Then I saw I was in the guy’s locker room. I don’t know if he’s coming back out or not.”
Cassie said, “You can work out with us and then walk home with us.”
“Thanks,” Rya said. She looked back at the locker room door. “I guess I might as well.”
A little bit later, the girls were talking and walking when Kate whispered, “Rya,” and rolled her eyes sideways in an odd way. Rya turned her head to follow Kate’s eyes.
The hot guy was walking next to Kate. He was clean and had wet hair. He said to Rya, “I see that you are OK with guys’ locker rooms. I coach a jr. high football team. I’ve got a game tonight. Do you want to go with me?”
She smiled and said, “Sure. But, I think I’ll just wait for you outside the locker room. I hope you don’t think that’s odd!”
What do you think?
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Kate thought Cassie was nuts not to think the girl with the cloth on her head was odd. But, Cassie would not back off from saying that it wasn’t right for Kate to make fun of the girl. What do you think about Cassie not just letting it go?
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The story includes some examples of a positive attitude. What do you think is the best example of a positive attitude in the story?
What would you do?
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State whether you have oily or dry hair. Then explain what you would do about your hair if you were in Rya’s situation and wanted to impress someone at the gym.
Life Skills in This Story
- Being persistant with important issues
- Showing a positive attitude
- Identifying your hair as oily or dry
- Making conclusions about what you hear
- Respecting cultural diversity
- Respecting individuals with physical/mental challenges
- Understanding good customer service
- Understanding and dealing with inappropriate words and touches from others
- Reacting when something breaks or spills
- Understanding logical sequences
- Correlating room numbers and floors
- Describing a person
- Using community resources
- Reading signs
- Asking a person on a date
