It was a grey afternoon; one mottled with showers spaced just far enough apart to offer hope of their ending before the next one came along. Gord the polar bear sat in the back of his home, looking out. He sighed, for days such as today kept the visitors away, and days without visitors were dreary indeed.
His face brightened as his friend Cherie the thrasher flew in and landed next to him. “Why, hello,” he said.
“Hiya yourself, silly old bear.”
“You must have me mistaken for Winston a couple of doors over.”
Cherie laughed as Gord smiled at his modest joke. “Make that very silly old bear.”
Gord feigned offense. “I’m not that old.”
“To me you are. Anyway, anything new?”
“I’m afraid not. Those bears next door are still such an embarrassment.”
“At least the really noisy one left,” Cherie commented.
“That’s true,” replied Gord. “Now they have a bunch more bears in his place. A couple of them are all right, but there’s this one who’s in his own way is as bad as the noisy one.”
“I know which one you mean — the stuck-up one?”
“Exactly. He’s always acting so high and mighty, talking down to everyone. But when he thinks no one is looking, he gives these false apologies and acts all chummy. A little too chummy, really — he says some very inappropriate things when he thinks everyone isn’t listening.”
“I know how that goes,” Cherie sighed. “Some of the animals here can be very condescending because I’m just a common bird. And a girl to boot.”
“Why, they don’t know what they’re talking about! There’s nothing common about you. You’re a wonderful, talented, attractive young bird.”
Cherie smiled and lowered her head. “Now I know you’re silly. But thank you.”
“I do hope the other animals don’t think we’re ignoring them or acting like those other bears when we talk together.”
Cherie laughed out loud. “With you around? Not a chance. You’d invite the zookeeper to be a friend given half a chance, even as much as he either ignores you or is rude toward you.”
Gord blushed, or at least came as close as a polar bear can to blushing. “I’m not that nice. But once in a while, I at least try to be.”
“Yes, you can be very trying, silly old bear… okay, the other silly old bear.”
Gord smiled as together he and his friend watched the rain start up again.
