Indescribable

Written by Kaylyn Schaffranek

Not everyone knows our deepest thoughts. Nobody knows how deeply something may connect with us. How much it could possibly mean to do one simple act.

Ada and Mindie carelessly strolled back to the car. They had a fun time in the city, shopping for clothes they didn’t need, visiting the local art museum, spending so much money on food. It had been a perfect day for the pair. They had finally been able to really spend time together for the first time in God knows how long.

At first glance, you’d see two friends just catching up. Their friendship was the type where it felt as though no time had past at all, no matter how long they’d been apart. It was explosive when they got together. Immediately jumping back into their inside jokes that wouldn’t make sense to anybody else, even if they had been there. They got each other.

Ada had made the spur-of-the-moment decision to surprise Mindie, stealing her away from her responsibilities for the day. It was not unusual for one of them to show up out of the blue. They’ve been doing it since they were forced to be apart after middle school. That was thirty years ago. And yet, every time one of them surprised the other, they were always driven to tears.

As Ada drove away from the city, Mindie couldn’t help but look back at the skyline, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Oh, stop getting all sentimental, you dork,” Ada rolled her eyes at her friend.

Mindie laughed, her hand waving carelessly out the window. “You and I both know it’s not a perfect coming of age movie scene if it isn’t sentimental and dramatic.”

“Whatever. The heavy sigh was a good touch this time.”

“I’ve been practicing!”

The pair laughed at that, longer than is usually acceptable to laugh. It was one of those moments where their laughter just kept each other going. Maybe Mindie had initiated the laugh, or maybe it was Ada, but it was sure enough that once it began, it was difficult to stop.

The trip ended way too quickly. Sure, Ada was spending the night, but they had to break out of their own little bubble and allow for Mindie’s family to be involved. Her partner and their two kids were amazing, but the atmosphere wouldn’t be the same. They sat in the car for a second, waiting for the song playing to end.

Getting out of the car, Ada looked up, smiled, and leaned against the car. Mindie walked around and leaned with her friend.

“You good?”

Ada looked at her friend. “Look up at the stars.”

Mindie looked up, nodding a bit. Then she pointed. “Is that the big dipper?”

“That’s Orion’s Belt.”

“Dammit!”

Mindie took her phone out, downloading a stargazing app, determined to find the big dipper.

While it would have been easy to laugh and make fun of her friend, Ada watched Mindie, shaking her head a bit. Her head turned back up to the stars for a minute. She didn’t get to see so much of the night sky where she lived.

“AHA! I found it!” Mindie shouted, pointing at the correct constellation. “Okay, let’s head inside now please!”

There was something about that moment. Ada felt it as she watched Mindie run up to the house. Mindie didn’t give a shit about the stars. But she looked up for Ada. Without knowing it, she allowed her friend a moment. Ada felt something when she got to look at the night sky. It was indescribable. But getting to experience that feeling with her best friend was something Mindie would never understand. It was too deep in Ada, even she didn’t really know what it was. All she knew is that for some indescribable, amazing reason, she felt the feeling of looking up at the stars and got to share that with Mindie. Her best friend. The person she had an indescribable relationship with. Her twin flame. To Ada, the moment meant the world.

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Kaylyn Schaffranek is the author of Indescribable. She is a Psychology and Sociology-Criminology major at Ohio University. She liked to add a bit of herself into every piece she writes. In her free time, she enjoys painting and crocheting.