Black Licorice in Musings

I’m like black licorice. Either you love me or you fucking hate me.
Through the years of being absolutely loved and hated by friends and friends of friends, I’ve realized that I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.
I am very adaptable, but I’m also very, bluntly truthful… and the truth isn’t the easiest pill to swallow. I

All of my best friends and all of my lovers know that I can’t tell a lie… if I believe it’s wrong and you ask me about it, I’m not going to sugar coat it—it’s wrong in my opinion.

So I went to a Puerto Rican artist festival in Brooklyn—one of my closest friends was performing. It was under these archways in Brooklyn.
First of all let me tell you that I was wearing a silk black and white Kimono, an asymmetrical black button up shirt, skinny pants and spike Louboutins. I was with Alex and I wasn’t drinking, I just had come out of work.

My bestfriend was dancing for the festival and she broke from her dance, to come to hug and kiss me.
Apparently, that rubbed her other best friend the wrong way. And personally, I don’t care what anyone thinks about me, because what you think about me is none of my business.

So after my bestfriend finished performing; her name is Iris, she came to me and started to compliment me and my outfit and thank me for any donations that I had given… and her friend Vonda (who I’ve worked with) had decided to ignore me and pretend she didn’t know me.

This is a Puerto Rican party, I am an invited guest and I came here after her… in Iris’s and my culture, when people come to the house after you’ve been there first, even if you don’t like them, you greet them. It’s improper for a new person to approach another person who’s been there longer to greet them, because it’s presumptuous and arrogant.
But being the bitch that I fucking am, Vonda had pretended Not see me and once Iris came to me to greet me and hug me; I turned over to Vonda and said “Hey honey! How you doing?” Like bitch I’m Puerto Rican and you’re in a festival of my people, I don’t care how improper it is that I just got here and I’ve decided to greet you after spending 25 minutes in front of you.
So we partied through the evening, eating empanadas, looking at knick-knacks made by Puerto Rican artists.

I was on my best behavior, obviously because I’m bringing a white man into a Puerto Rican only event and I’m dressed like I’m going to a Japanese Met Gala event. I step out to get some wine from a nearby liquor store, and I come back—Iris is super pissed off.
Little did I know that Vonda told her that I was a rude piece of shit and that she doesn’t like me because I’m drunk all the time.

Me and Vonda have an amazing time, I catch up with her, without being privy that she doesn’t like me.

Needless to say that she colored everyone’s experience of me, to be her experience and disdain for me…

Bitch I know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea…but don’t cloud anyone’s judgment of me… at the end of the event Iris was so irritated. Vonda had told the circle of friends “Andy is a fucking bitch, he gets drunk and he’s so rude and pretentious”

Why on our Uber drive back to the city Iris called me upset and said “Andy, I don’t know why Vonda said she didn’t like you and then persisted on clouding everyone’s opinion of you, ‘cause you were on your best behavior… and once you got your car ride home all of my friends couldn’t stop raving about you!”
And I replied to her “I love that you got upset, you’re a true friend. I’m not for everyone, not everyone likes black licorice. As long as your opinion of me isn’t affected, I could care the fuck less about what anyone thinks about me” and I kind of felt upset about the situation and I showed Alex… and he was just confused about why one person’s opinion about me would poison everyone’s idea of me.
Alex said “you’re not the nicest person, you’re a fucking fierce, scary bitch babe… I’m even intimidated by how unforgivingly authentic you are”

I’m a bitch, this I know… but I tiptoed to not offend anyone and because one person said to not like me, everyone dislikes me and then realize they actually think I’m “all positive vibes”

If you’re a weak ass bitch and a negative, insecure bitch—I’m not the one for you. Don’t hate me because someone said to, find out for yourself why she hates me and discover for yourself who I am.

While I go home in my car ride, irritated–next to my man, to my new TriBeCa apartment, with a shiny new diamond bracelet and realize to worry about things that matter… and she’s riding on the train to the boondocks of Brooklyn to her cat, in a rented room, single and in her mid 30’s… I hope she realizes why she hates me, and why she’s the only one.
I don’t care if she likes me… I am a lot to like… but don’t try to poison a group of people who end up realizing there’s no reason to dislike me. Most importantly, don’t try to make my friend feel bad because her loyalty is tested… I will come out on top always.