A Type of Story

short story

Laura sat at the café with her new friend. He was incredibly insightful, which was something that Laura both admired and was a little afraid of. He was the sort of person who says, “I don’t think I’ll ever understand you” and then in the same breath diagnoses you as a type ISFJ.

This incidentally is exactly what he had just done, causing Laura to give a terse laugh. She set down her milkshake with a smile.

“You know I’d love to say that you’re wrong,” she said. “I’d love to say that you got all four letters wrong. But you didn’t. You got all four letters right and I think I know what happens next. I’m no ethnographer but I’m pretty sure I’ve met people like you before. Now that you’ve figured me out you’ll get bored, walk out of my life and I’ll never hear from you again.”

Her friend didn’t reply, he simply leaned in closer, more curious than ever.

“I think I know this story,” Laura continued. “I’ve read it before. The ending sucks.”

He laughed at that.

“You don’t know for sure how the story ends,” he says.

“True, I don’t know for absolute certain, but you’re an ENTJ type and I’m an ISFJ type. ISFJs don’t like it when people just walk out of their lives like nothing happened.”

“Nothing did happen,” he says.

She sighs.

“You’re right,” she says. “Nothing happened.”

Author's Note

Appreciate ANY feedback :)

Reviews

[Shannon]

He seems pretty arrogant anyway, Laura can do soooo much better.

But I hear her resignation, in this piece. The last two lines are brilliantly concise and speak volumes.

[Stan Lee]

Laughing my head off right now. Thank you so much S.Mi. Really enjoy you dropping by and leaving your priceless thoughts. Much appreciated. :)

[PaintedBirdy]

outrageous! he's clearly infatuated with Laura! a list of reasons why he loves Laura:

1. she's amazing all day long. she doesn't even try, she just is. okay, she tries, but she doesn't need to, he think she's amazing exactly how she is.

2. she's incredibly funny. she has a ratio of laughing with him thats something like 4000 to 3. and he tries all day long to think of ways to make her smile.

3. she's super smart and knows exactly what people are thinking. i wouldn't talk to her myself, i'm too afraid she'd know exactly what i'm thinking. smart people like this make me nervous.

4. the sex appeal. i don't know what she looks like, but damn she's a fox if i ever listened to a women speak before! foxy! Laura knows words :)

5. everyone loves Laura. he def loves her too and knows how valuable she is. she's rare and he knows it and he wants her. i think we should just let him pursue her. they both will end up happy, :)

i hope theres a part 2 to this story!

[PaintedBirdy]

i can't stop smiling while i read this :) particularly because this story seems so familiar to someone i've just met. i think i'm like the friend in this story, but i've never been bored and i've never walked out of someone's life to never be heard from again. the friend seems reckless, making assumptions that he knows who Laura is. he's kinda wacky, in my opinion. but he's seems rather lovable too. perhaps that's why Laura is worried.

that's what i interpret her to be: worried. it kinda sucks how people have to take a leap of faith to really understand people, right? what if the friend just wanted Laura to laugh and be happy? why would he do that? why? why her? strangely, i'm reminded of the song Pepper by Butthole Surfers, the lyrics are something like "you never know just how you look in other people's eyes." that's what this story reminds me of. i love it, Andronicus!

she set down her milkshake because she liked that someone 'saw' her, and liked her, and she was taken back because she didn't expect it. i don't think Laura EVER met anyone like her friend before. :) i hope something happens, like a part 2 to this story :)

(leans in closer because i'm curious - and gives a laugh - having no idea what the ending is like. not even sure i believe in 'endings'. isn't it a bit scary how so many things happened in this story but nothing really DID happen? i think i'd be a little worried if a girl understood me this well, but i'd also be flattered that she took the time to look)

[Stan Lee]

Many thanks for your thorough review MondaineGarcon. I'm glad it made you smile. To me the friend is very apt and assertive. Apt because obviously tres smartypants being able to figure out types and so on. Assertive because self confident because... just is. I would say that Laura is more cautious than worried. Like she says, she's no beginner, rather just sick of the same old story that leaves her feeling all empty and eaten out. Keep in mind that the "I" stands for introverted so the fact that someone can see right through her is liable to make her feel almost violated. (Not really, but couldn't think of a better word).
What if the friend wanted her to laugh and be happy? What if!?? Well, we shall see. :)
Thanks again for taking the time to read and review. (:

[PaintedBirdy]

that is very interesting to me. i suppose he is a smarty pants, but he seems like a boy. perhaps he's a worldy boy. i dunno, maybe that's what he should be called, "worldy boy." and i think he understands that she's "sick of the same old story" but i don't think he likes stories that have been told before, i think he likes new stories, i think he likes stories that have never existed before :) and i don't think he ever intended to "see right through her," i think that maybe he just wanted to really see who she is. i think he sorta likes what he sees and just wants to say 'thank you' to an awesome person for being so awesome :) it's possible, in my interpretation, that this story could have a million different endings :)

[Stan Lee]

You are right :) To which I say again, we shall see! I think you have given me a lot of food for thought and a part two could very well be on the books. So hang around, like willy wonka said, 'great treats are in store '

[PaintedBirdy]

i like how you say "we shall see," because it implies both of us :)