Frenemies of the Past

What is it about old frenemies?

Bet most of us have them. Classmates who have been with us along the peripheries of our cronies since we were all schoolboys in blue shorts. I had Boastful Bart. Not exactly bosom buddies though not exactly bitter enemies either. More of a rival of sorts. So if you're a true-blue Gossip Girl fan, you could make the comparison that he was the Serena to my Blair.

Though I never wore a glittery headband - no matter how much I might have wanted to! But the eerie observation remains true enough since Boastful Bart no doubt thought I was a sarcastic bitch while I told everyone within hearing range he was an overbearing, pompous blowhard! No matter how often we were thrown together in the classroom or during extracurricular encounters, our conversations remained brief, terse and usually - thankfully - cut short by some welcome diversion.

Bart : Now how about this project? No need to tell me. I already have this idea to start a multimillion corporation to fund a housing development...
Paul : How ambitious! Might I remind you, Mr Trump, that this is a school project to be done in a week. I don't think we need to hire management staff, three bitchy secretaries and a cleaning lady for this.
Bart : Well, we already have a bitchy secretary.
Paul : And the cleaning lady.

At least from the bits that I recall.

But a few years after school when we met on more neutral ground, I realized that we'd both grown up! Oddly enough we'd both ventured into the same field hence our awkward meet-up in a hospital. Bart had matured far beyond his judgy-judgemental ways and I'd lost quite a bit of my snarky edge. Reason enough that we could share more than a meal together in Melbourne without automatically sniping at each other. Rubbed along quite tolerably surprisingly for a few days.

Just short of a bromance.


A new bromance?
That was almost an entire decade ago. Last I heard he was happily married with half a dozen kids somewhere Down Under. Though I wondered briefly who the lucky woman was, Bart was miles away from here where I wished him good luck.

Or at least that's what I thought. But just yesterday during a YKLS production - while watching a particularly androgynous Bulgarian bride try to fend off the affections of two warring suitors to the tune of a jazzy Svatba, I saw him. Particularly appropriate music for the moment as I turned to my left and noticed someone familiar crouched in a corner. It was either Boastful Bart had returned to haunt me or a damned good doppelganger.

The chorus of Bulgarian bridesmaids certainly agreed with my chaotic thoughts as they hummed and howled to the unexpected meeting.

So what is it about old frenemies? I didn't know whether to rush forward in seeming camaraderie or run behind a pillar to hide! Obviously he didn't know how to react either since we spent an entire hour glancing around trying to confirm each other's identities. Even had a five minute eye showdown as we stared at each other in abject curiousity. Walked like him, talked like him, certainly look a helluva lot like him.

Short of knocking up some girl in primary ( and which girl could stand him back then? ), good ole Bart couldn't have had a son this old already, could he? Had Bart actually mastered cloning as he'd planned to the last time we met?

Never did find out who he was by the way since I fled the scene after the show.