Oh, Really...

Yesterday, one of my classmates asked me if Tuesday had brought any good news. Seeing as she was clearly referring to college decisions, I chose to answer with a modest, discreet "yes" - acting in any other manner would be disrespectful to those who had not received the desired results. Well anyway, this person continued on down the college path, further asking me to which schools I had been admitted. Before I could respond, a friend in the IVth Form standing next to me offered up the schools I had gotten into, then walked away after congratulating me for a fourth time. After waiting in silence for about four seconds, my classmate responded with an, "Oh, Really..."

- Now, I could recount the rest of the conversation but that would be unnecessary; as you could probably already tell the "Oh, Really..." is actually what concerns me. You see, it wasn't the encouraging, congratulatory "Oh, Really...". No, this was the, 'You're going to stand there and try to tell ME, ____________, that pigs fly?'  Oh Really... or the 'Ha, has Hell Frozen over? has Jesus come again? has the Sun set in the East? has the U.S captured Osama? have the American people elected a black man President (wait, disregard that last one...)? "Oh Really..."

This was the rude, condescending, incredulous, patronizing, disrespectful "Oh Really..."; just the type that at 4:30 pm on that very same Tuesday would have evoked a response as rude, condescending, incredulous, patronizing, and disrespectful. 

But see, there is something about having what they call "something to lose" that causes one to think before he speaks, to foresee before he does. 5:00 pm Tuesday evening came and brought with it three reasons to ignore the "Oh, Really..."; three reasons to reply, "Really!" (in a happy-go-lucky tone) and walk away. 

I'm not naive, hence, I'm not shocked that someone would attempt to bring me down from the high that accompanies retrieving the "fruits of my labor". To the contrary, I'm grateful for the, "Oh, Really..."; it demonstrates that this idealistic community which likes to think of itself as some impenetrable bubble is still vulnerable to societal vices such as jealousy and envy. 

Yesterday, Wednesday, I heard an adviser talking to a student in the Vth Form (junior) who is just beginning the college process. The student stated, "I'm afraid that if I don't get in I'll hate my friends, you know..?" They chuckled after that comment, and then the adviser said something I thought was interesting.

"Not only will you get in, but embarking on this college journey with your peers will allow you to appreciate all of the hard work everybody puts into the process. You will all be happy for each other."

Oh, Really...

JbP

p.s. My 5ive, "we did good."