There are conversation fault lines that everyone knows to avoid for the sake of friendship. For some, it's politics. Others, religion. For still some others it's finances or childrearing. Among my B'more group of Jesus friends, it's ice cream cake.
It's an issue that has staunchly divided the group along mostly regional lines (East Coast vs. West Coast, Carvel vs. Baskin-Robbins), and an issue we have spent countless hours arguing bitterly over. Yet like bugs drawn to the lantern, we can't help ourselves. Every few weeks, someone inevitably picks off the scab and each side would dig deeper into their beliefs. Or rather, we did until last night.
The conversation started innocently enough-- I had mentioned to Stephanie and George, a sweet and lovely couple unmarred by our infighting, that we had ice cream and cake. But Lisa, agitator that she was, saw an opportunity to bring up ice cream cake and drive a wedge through the dinner party. At first, it looked like her plans would fail. Stephanie and George, as sensible people, agreed that ice cream cake was best a la Carvel, meaning they agreed that ice cream cake was best as ice cream in the shape of a cake and not-- [spit on the ground]-- a mixture of ice cream and cake. For a moment, this meant that Lisa was the only one on the wrong side of history last night. Until suddenly, she wasn't.
"I think...," Greg started sheepishly. It almost looked as if the poor, misguided soul was compelled by lecherous Lisa to speak, "I think I'm a convert to ice cream and cake." And just like that, justice lost another member and the alliance of Lisa and Greg grew ever stronger.
It's hard to pin down, Dear Readers, just what part of Greg's conversion made for the greatest betrayal-- whether it was that Lisa's wiles had contaminated yet another friendship*, or the revolting realization that someone I once trusted could find the mismatch of melted ice cream and stale cake preferable to the harmony that is chocolate and vanilla ice cream nestling a sweet layer of chocolate crunchies. All I can tell you is that they are two sides of the same coin, and each side cuts equally deep. Grey's Anatomy once said that without forgiveness, old scores are never settled, old wounds never heal. I guess that's why it takes a group committed to living like Jesus, to coming together week after week, to take on the topic of ice cream cake.
*friendship may be too strong a word... "small group proximity associate?"
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