Awful Sentimental
Galinda
Having followed Ama Clutch’s instructions, Galinda did not roll her eyes, or huff, or sigh when Elphaba returned to their shared suite that night. There was no use in being difficult about the roommate situation, just like Ama Cutch had told her. She knew that the wise old thing was right.
Galinda herself wasn’t sure why she actively went out of her way to try and make Elphaba uncomfortable. There was no point in being unpleasant, especially when they’d be living in such close proximity for an indefinite amount of time. Ama Clutch surely was not going to help her get Miss Elphaba relocated to a different part of Crage Hall. No, Ama Clutch proudly took Elphaba in as one of her ducks, as much as that irritated Galinda. Madame Morrible already made her stance on the matter clear and ignored Momsie and Popsicle’s requests to get the green girl out of the private suite that came with an extra expense.
There was nothing that Galinda could do about the circumstance, as much as she wished for privacy. She also believed herself to be mature, unlike the other girls that she surrounded herself with. So, to prove this to herself (and to get Ama Clutch to stop bickering), Galinda took a deep breath and greeted Elphaba, welcoming her back into the room for the first time in their several weeks of sharing a residence.
“Good evening, Miss Elphaba,” said Galinda with the smile she always forced onto her face, even in the company of Misses Shenshen, Pfannee, and Milla, respectively.
Elphaba looked back at her as she approached her side of the room. She looked confused, reasonably so. Galinda had never offered her a warm greeting before. “Uhh, hello, Miss Galinda,” said Elphaba.
Galinda felt an awkwardness hanging in the air. Her eyes darted around the room, trying to think of something to discuss, thinking back to their very first conversation from the night before for some sort of reference point or shared interest. There was none that Galinda could think of. To be quite frank, Galinda had already mostly forgotten the depth of the topics they—or rather, Elphaba—had touched on.
“How were classes today?” Galinda asked, settling on the only question she could think of.
After the question escaped her lips, all she could think about was what roommates could possibly talk about. They returned to the same living space after a long day on campus only to return to the same monotonous conversation patterns. With all the effort that she had made to avoid Elphaba in the past, Galinda definitely had no knowledge on roommate discussion topics.
But that didn’t matter, she thought, Miss Elphaba didn’t either. In fact, Elphaba didn’t seem to be very familiar with any social cues. Perhaps, in the future, Galinda could teach Elphaba a thing or two about proper ploys.
“Fine,” Elphaba replied rather hastily as she marched around her side, putting away her belongings.
Galinda watched as Elphaba pulled out her nightgown from her wooden closet. Whenever Galinda managed to catch a glance of the inside of the wardrobe, she always took note of how empty it was. There was hardly any clothing in it, which Galinda found peculiar. All there seemed to be was those strange ebony and petrol blue outfits that Elphaba always wore and Galinda despised. They had become a part of the many things that she loathed about her roommate.
She found it odd that Elphaba only had a few choice outfits and a couple of nightgowns stored in her closet. Yes, Galinda noted, Elphaba became a student much later than anyone else, so her clothes had been sent from home after her arrival, but it was strange that she had so little in the way of personal belongings.
Not only was her ensemble incredibly slim, but she also did not own any furniture or other objects of personal touches. All she had was the desk, the matching chair, and the bed that was supplied by Miss Coddle’s housing department. Galinda was both confusified and captivated by the barrenness of Elphaba’s side of their shared dorm.
“Miss Galinda,” Elphaba began after clearing her throat, “I know that you and I are not particularly close—nor do you like me, but I have a favor to ask of you.”
Had Galinda thought any longer, she perhaps would have begun to feel some sort of sympathy for the green girl. Thankfully, her attention was drawn back into reality. There was only one thing that Galinda hated more than thinking, and that was sympathy. She didn’t have time for either.
She told herself that at least.
“What?” she asked, confusified by Elphaba’s random statement and first attempt to initiate verbal contact. She was taken aback and blown away, not aware that Elphaba was capable of such.
“I said, I know you don’t like me, but—”
“I never said that!” said Galinda, cutting her off before she could continue onward.
Even if Galinda had never explicitly said such, both of them knew that it was true, or at least it had been at one point. Galinda wasn’t sure how she felt about the poor thing currently, but she loathed her nonetheless. They loathed each other. That was for certain, the talk of ‘liking’ was not something that Galinda currently had an answer for.
Nonetheless, Elphaba didn’t press on the subject and instead continued on with whatever in the name of Oz she was spewing.
“I have a favor to ask,” she repeated.
“A favor?” Galinda asked, not even taking the short statement into consideration. If she had, Galinda would have come to the conclusion that she had done enough favors for Elphaba already. She let her live here. Thank Lurline above that she didn’t give it any thought.
“Yes,” said Elphaba. She looked almost nervous in Galinda’s eyes.
She had never asked for anything directly before. The girls had only just begun acknowledging one another in ways that weren’t just for their loathing rituals. There was no sense of camaraderie between them—that would be too much for Galinda, and perhaps for Elphaba, too—but the air of the suite was less tense now. Galinda certainly took notice of that.
So, she told Elphaba to continue on, and that the viridescent female did. Elphaba told Galinda about an ‘old friend’ who wished to meet her. Elphaba’s request was almost immediately shot down by Galinda who made it clear that she was not interested, claiming that the favor was highly scandalocious. Elphaba assured her that it was not that type of request. Her friend, whoever they may have been, for better or for worse, only wished to speak to Galinda and asked only to get to know her. Elphaba affirmed that it was a harmless favor and offered to chaperone the thing if it made Galinda feel better.
Galinda was against the whole idea, but was eager nonetheless. About three nights after Elphaba made her silly little request, Galinda finally obliged, but only under the condition that Ama Clutch would never find out and that Elphaba kept her word and chaperoned to keep a watchful eye on the encounter.
When the eve of the arranged meeting came, the two girls exited Crage Hall after dark—against Shiz rules, no doubt, like scandalocious interlopers—and Elphaba led Galinda down the cobbled pathway outside into the kitchen garden.
Galinda had made sure to specifically request that the whole thing go down once the sun had set and curfew had passed, ensuring that nobody was able to catch sight of anything. Not only that, but, while Galinda would never admit it, she didn’t want (or need) anyone see her sneaking around with Miss Elphaba. If Shenshen had spotted Galinda with Elphaba outside of their room together, she would never have let Galinda hear the end of it, and the petite Gillikinese was sure to take that into consideration. If Pfannee had spotted the two roommates out and about, she would have immediately reported the sight to Shenshen like the snake that she was.
So, it was best for this, whatever it was, to take place once the moon was already out and stars above began illuminating the night skies.
As for Elphaba and Galinda, the two girls had hardly spoken since that night other than occasional “Hello”s and talk about the plan for this meet-up as Elphaba developed the arrangement further, having to talk to her friend and then discuss any advancements with Galinda. It was all such a hectic thing, Elphaba having made it more difficult than it needed to be, but the night was finally here.
The two girls took a seat on one of the benches, sitting close to one another in the cool evening air. Galinda glanced over at Elphaba who was looking around the garden.
“I must remind you of how highly improper this all is,” she said, waving the satin fan that she had brought along around in an attempt to cool herself down. While she wouldn't admit it, she found herself quite nervous about the whole thing, unsure of why she even agreed to it in the first place. Galinda had very light hopes that maybe Miss Elphaba’s friend, whoever they may be, would pique her interest, so she was more anxious than she normally would’ve been.
For all she knew this mysterious fellow could’ve been handsome. Or, Galinda thought, well-off. Either would be good enough for her to be satisfied with the evening, even if they did not get off on the right foot.
Galinda was most curious, though, to see who in their right mind would befriend Elphaba. She didn’t know that the green girl spoke to anyone.
“Elphaba has friends,” Galinda said out of the blue as they waited, still fanning herself with the white satin decorated in pink Gillikinese designs. “Who ever would’ve guessed.”
“He is an old friend,” Elphaba corrected her. She too looked a little on edge. But why? Was she worried that Galinda would steal all of her friend’s time and attention from her?
“New or old,” said Galinda with a dismissive flick of her wrist, “he’s late. You would think that anyone with any respect—for either of us—would be more punctual.”
Elphaba shrugged as she tapped her feet against the cobbled floor anxiously. Opposite of her, Galinda kept her ankles daintily crossed, her expression a mixture of her impatience, forced calm, and growing curiosity.
For whatever reason, she was desperate to see who Elphaba spent her time with, regardless if this friend was from the past or the present. Galinda wasn’t sure if she just wanted to see, with her own two eyes, that Elphaba had a friend, or if she was jealous. But what would she—Galinda Arduenna Upland of the Upper Uplands—possibly be jealous of?
She couldn’t put her finger on it, nor did she want to. Instead, she was snapped out of her thoughts by Elphaba again when she said, “He’s here.”
“Good evening, ladies,” came a voice from the direction of the garden’s entrance. It sounded familiar, but Galinda couldn’t quite determine where she recognized it from—she had talked to so many people already during her short tenure at Shiz. The voice was more boyish than manly, and that was the first thing that she noted.
However, when Galinda looked up from the flower bed that her eyes had been locked onto, she was more than just shocked. She found herself vexed as she spotted the boy, who was Miss Elphaba’s friend. She knew him, not well, but well enough. He had tried to talk to her during their orientation and even attempted to chit chat with her in Doctor Dillamond’s class. The boy, who Galinda deduced was a Munchkin during their first encounter with a simple glance up and down, had a bright head of frizzy red hair that reminded her of a hedgehog and a freckled face. His name, she could not remember, but now she regretted agreeing to the engagement, blaming herself for not considering that this old friend of Elphaba’s was no doubt from the east like she was. If only she had given it more thought, she would have shut it down immediately; especially, if she had known who it was. This boy—was it Buck?---had been a thorn in her side and a frequent pest.
Miss Elphaba should have warned her, at least, even if she didn’t know about Galinda’s familiarity with the Munchkin. She should have been warned to expect this.
“Miss Galinda,” said Elphaba as she stood up from the bench, the Munchkin inching closer in their direction, “this is Master Boq.”
“Good evening, Miss Galinda,” said the Munchkin. “It was good of you to agree to meet with me.”
Galinda didn’t care about her behavior, she was particularly frustrated for numerous reasons that she could contemplate later in the comfort of her suite that she now regretted making Elphaba feel at home in. The typically proper girl turned her head away from Biq, hiding her face in her pretty fan. “---Again,” she added onto Buck’s statement, her voice dripping with disdain that she made sure to exaggerate.
“Again?” Elphaba asked, looking between the two. Maybe she wasn’t aware, then, Galinda thought.
“We’ve had plenty of run-ins,” said Galinda, huffing her breath.
Elphaba looked over at Boq and whispered something to him, but Galinda didn’t care to hear what exactly the supposed old chums were discussing.
“I just wanted a chance to actually talk,” said the boy who extended his hand outward towards Galinda who continued looking in the opposite direction. “I am Boq,” he said rather proudly of his funny, very eastern name that Galinda already lost track of. “Boq Woodsman, of Munchkinland,” he added as if everything about him didn’t scream Munchkin. A blind person could tell.
“I got that,” said Galinda who finally looked at him again. She looked at his hand. She didn’t take it. Instead, she repositioned herself on the bench and sat up straight. Buck took a seat on the bench across from the two girls.
Then, there was an unprecedented amount of silence that lasted for far too many clock-ticks. Elphaba and her even more peculiar friend had no social skills that Galinda could pick up on.
“This is highly improper for a number of reasons,” Galinda broke the silence, repeating her sentiment regarding the meeting. “I only agreed to this because Miss Elphaba begged me too.”
Elphaba was going to say something, but the Munchkin cut her off.
“That is good of her,” said the Munchkin. “I am very pleased to see you, Miss Galinda,” he added rather awkwardly, a crack in his boyish voice. He must have been nervous in the presence of Galinda’s radiance. She, Galinda thought, must have been unlike anything that the boy had set his eyes on before.
“Master Biq—” she began, but the Munchkin rudely cut her off mid-sentence. First Miss Elphaba, now her. How ill-mannered and Munchkin-like.
“It’s Boq,” he corrected, but Galinda paid it no mind and carried on with what she was saying.
“Master Biq,” she said, “I can’t say that I am pleased to see you again. Not only is this improper, but it is troublesome. I am pleased that you are so taken with me,” Galinda stated, trying to add some charm and decency into her words, despite her irritation. “You must know that this type of thing is not common practice amongst those of my standing. I cannot underestimate how scandalocious this is, and how worse it is that you requested such a meet-up.”
Elphaba watched silently while Biq said, “I’m sorry to trouble you, Miss Galinda. I just wish to get to know you a little bit better.”
“For what reason?” asked Galinda who locked eyes with Buck. his face began to turn redder than it already was, his pink cheeks flushing as he began to try and stammer up a response.
“Master Boq is on top of all of his academics,” Elphaba blabbered in for the first time, probably in hopes to lighten the tense atmosphere. She was trying to help her peculiar little friend, Galinda thought. So, maybe she was involved in the grandeur of this scheme, whatever it may be, outside of just planning it.
“Is that so?” Galinda waved her fan around.
“Yes, Miss Galinda,” said Buck, his voice shaking. Galinda had a certain amount of power over the men around her and she remembered how she easily had the boys in secondary skill wrapped around her finger. However, to her memory, she had never made one as nervous as the Munchkin was right now.
“And what are you studying?” asked Galinda, not meeting Biq’s eyes again and making a mental note not to do so.
Perhaps she had noticed that the boy went skittish again, so Elphaba cut back in like a wingwoman. “Agriculture,” said the green girl.
Agriculture?
“Is that so?” Galinda asked.
Bach nodded and proudly said, “Yes. My family are farmers back home. My papa runs a large orchard in Munchkinland. I will inherit it someday, so I am majoring in Agricultural Studies.”
Galinda tuned out a few words in.
Farmers? Really? Not only was this improper meeting below her, but so was this Munchkin boy.
“You see,” said Galinda, “there is already an issue in cultures and desires.”
“Whatever do you mean?” asked Biq, cutting her off before she could explain. She shot him a quick glare from behind the fan.
“Let her speak,” said Elphaba. Now she was on Galinda’s side?
“Well,” Galinda began, “you are a Munchkinlander. I am Gillikinese. You come from the fields, I come from the Upper Uplands.” Buck raised his hand as if to interject, but Galinda continued: “You are a farmer, as you say, and that simply will not meet mine or my parent’s standards.”
“But Miss Galinda—”
“No,” she said, cutting off the Munchkin this time around. “That is how things must be. I am sorry, Master Buck.”
The boy shook his head. “Miss Galinda, you must understand,” he began. “You have it all wrong. I did not come to propose some sort of marriage or romantic relationship.”
Galinda looked at Biq and she noticed Elphaba’s head perk up in his direction, too.
Did she misinterpret things? Would this foolish boy make a mockery of her? Was she ahead of herself?
“I am quite fond of you, Miss Galinda, there is no doubt about that,” said Bach, and there was no doubt that two-thirds of the student population felt the same way. “I think that you are the most beautiful and lovely woman in the whole world.”
So he was indeed smitten with her. There was never any doubt, but Galinda had feared that Biq would make her look like a fool.
Galinda couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She had heard similar sentiments numerous times throughout her eighteen years of existence. Boys always tried to express their ‘love’ to her, but she had never given them the time of day, no matter how attractive or handsome Galinda thought that they might have been. There were the dashing Gillikinese boys and then there were the others… like poor Biq.
Truth be told, Galinda had never had any sort of romantic relationship with anyone. She was saving herself, for whatever–or rather, whomever—she believed was waiting for her in her future. She was above courtship. She told herself that she would wait until that statesman or banker came along and was able to provide for her, just like her parents wanted her to. Or maybe even a baron from the Emerald City.
Galinda loved the thrill of the pursuit; she loved being chased by the many suitors of her past, present, and future, but it was the enjoyment that came with being the object of affection and attention that fueled her desires. That being said, she also wouldn’t settle for anything less than she deserved, whether that be in terms of her lover’s class or character.
That is why she definitely preferred the Winkie Prince who was allegedly set to arrive at Shiz per the words of her parents. The idea of him captivated Galinda farther than she had ever been captivated.
Whatever happened to that?---she wondered. She would ask Miss Pfannee about the prince’s arrival first thing when they next saw each other.
Nonetheless, she could not subside romantically to Buck, no matter how kind his words may have been. Besides, just like all the others, he didn’t know her. What was there about her that he supposedly loved? It was her looks no doubt, which no doubt she was proud of, but she also wanted her romantic partner to like her for things other than her pretty Gillikinese face and petite figure.
“We are strangers,” said Galinda.
“Strangers are just people you haven’t met yet,” said the boy.
Both Galinda and Elphaba looked at him strangely. Then, the Gillikinese remembered that those were the exact words that she told him when they first met.
He was almost as unusually and exceedingly peculiar as Miss Elphaba the Delirious, Galinda thought.
He continued on and said, “I only wish that you give me the chance to get to know you.”
“And what would be the point in that?” Galinda asked before answering on her own: “I do not see a purpose in a friendship between the two of us, Master Bach. At least not at this current moment in time. I have my studies, and you have your farming.”
“Friendship never hurt anyone,” Biq objected. He was so eager. Too eager.
“Friendship is distracting,” said Galinda. “Besides, I cannot be alone in the company of a boy. It is simply too scandalocious, and I will not be the talk of the school for spending time with the eager Munchkin who ‘only wanted to be friends.’”
“Well,” Buck rubbed his chin, “Miss Elphaba can chaperone us again.”
The quiet Elphaba snuck back into the conversation, raising a finger. “I agreed to this one meeting and that is it. Do not drag me into this,” she said as she shot a glance at the boy.
Galinda shook her head, “No, no. Miss Elphaba is a busy girl. I don’t know what she does with her time other than read, but she is otherwise occupied. Besides, I don’t think that three of us would make a relatively lovely lot together. I am sorry, Master Biq, but I don’t think that this is going to work out as you envision.”
“I just—” he began, but Galinda stood up.
“I said no,” she said firmly, standing an inch or two above Buck. She was glad that she had made the decision to wear her ruby red heels as opposed to the pink flats that she almost went with; otherwise, the Munchkin would have been taller than her and she wouldn’t have been able to make her next and final point: “You are also short, among other things.”
“But why? Why must you be against the idea of friendship?” Boq asked, growing flustered, perhaps at the remark Galinda made about his height.
“No is an answer in of itself,” said Galinda, remembering the phrase that Ama Clutch had once told her when she was a wee child. “Besides, I already told you various reasons why, Master Biq. I am sorry, but I do wish that you will let this go. There are plenty of Munchkin girls in attendance here, perhaps one of them will tickle your fancy.”
“Well—Miss Elphaba!” The Munchkin said with a sound that Galinda could only recognize as a whine.
She turned back and saw Elphaba shrug. “I said I would arrange a meeting and that was all,” she said. “If Miss Galinda does not wish to meet with you again—as of now—then, that is what will happen. I, nor you, can make up Miss Galinda’s mind for her. You must simply let her go until she is—and if she is—ready to meet again.”
Galinda couldn’t believe that Elphaba was standing up for her. For a moment, all of the bitterness that she had held for her roommate (who she believed had arranged this inappropriate meet-up to anger her) had gone away. She felt empowered by Elphaba’s choice to stand up for her against the lovesick Munchkin’s persistence.
There was a certain kind of power in that, Galinda thought. She would hold space with said idea of women empowering and helping other women. That was true magic.
“She will tell me if she is ever ready to meet you again,” Elphaba said rather sternly. “And if she doesn’t, you must, as I said, Master Boq, let her go. You are a lovely boy, you will surely find someone. I am fond of you, there must be others. You are kind and respectable, but you must let Miss Galinda be.”
For a clock-tick, Galinda considered the possibility of Elphaba liking Biq. Was Miss Elphaba capable of such affection? The thought danced in her mind, mingling with her other thoughts regarding her roommate's solitary nature.
She felt a sort of strange sensation in her heart at the thought of Elphaba and the Munchkin courting one another. Oh, nevermind that, Galinda thought. They could have each other for all she cared.
She couldn’t care less, she told herself, but she didn’t want to seem rude, even if Biq was a Munchkin. Galinda had to keep up her good reputation, after all, and a part of that was being good to the commoners.
There was also something about the whole thing. She felt joy in being wanted. She liked being pursued. It gave her the validation that she needed, even if the suitor was a bit of a creep in her eyes.
“Master Biq,” Galinda began, stopping in her pursuit of the garden’s gate, “I will do you the favor of treating you respectfully whenever I see you about—the noble that I am, but I will trust that that will satisfy you as a compromise for these unprofessional arrangements and your frequent approaches of me in public.”
Boq just shook his head again, his hedgehog-like hair enveloping the air around him. He smiled at Galinda and said, “Never,” then, he took her hand without permission and held it up to his face, “but it’ll be a fine start.”
He pressed his lips against Galinda’s soft hand. It was dutiful and polite, but Galinda couldn’t help, but cringe. It was inappropriate, she thought, for him to do such a thing when she made her regards of him rather obvious, and it made her rather uncomfortable. In her peripheral vision, she spotted Elphaba looking on with a shudder, perhaps she was jealous. Perhaps she wanted the Munchkin to kiss her green hand that had likely never been given any sort of polite gesture of the sort.
“No touching,” Elphaba had said as though she were warning Biq, but he ignored her and held Galinda’s hand as he met his gaze with his dark-eyed orbs.
“Miss Galinda, if you were kind enough to give me the chance,” he began again—much to the dismay of Galinda, and maybe even Elphaba who stood awkwardly—“I would do everything in my power to be tender and gentle towards you. I’d—I’d be friends with the sparrows and the boy who shoots the arrows!” He proclaimed, perhaps in his best attempt at trying to profess his deep love for Galinda.
Galinda Upland was not one for poetry (or whatever the hell it was Buck tried to do). She also was not one for overbearing admirers. There was a difference between chasing the girl of your dreams and being tenacious with her. In response, she pulled her hand out of his meaty fingers, escaping his grasp once and for all.
Had he not been so tenacious, maybe their futures would have gone differently.
Regardless, she was off-put by everything about Biq. He was nice and treated her respectfully, but that respect was not strong enough to acknowledge and care about how she felt. Therefore, to Galinda, his respectability was merely a mask concealing his overwhelming insistence. Even if he was a Munchkin, there was a certain charm to Bach upon first glance, but Galinda was no longer drawn to it, if she ever really was. The fact that he was an easterner threw her off almost immediately, as did her prior run-ins with him.
He never stood a chance and that was solidified by his actions tonight.
“Now, I must get going,” said Galinda. “Me and Miss Elphaba must get back to our dorm before any matrons or Amas note our absence. My Ama would never let me hear the end of it, as like I’ve said, this is below me.”
The two girls turned and exited, leaving the Munchkin boy inside of the garden that was guarded by a brick wall. As they walked down the path that led to the front entrance of Crage Hall, Elphaba turned to Galinda and whispered under breath, “‘Miss Elphaba and I,’” she corrected, which made an irritated Galinda laugh, even if it did vexed her even more.
However, she couldn’t find herself to be upset with her roommate, even if the whole thing with Master Buck was her doing and it was her job to help her get out of it. She felt a sort of warmth from Miss Elphaba’s strangeness, and she had never felt that before. Galinda couldn’t take out her anger on either of the two, though Biq was too abrasive for her liking.
There was something admirable that Galinda saw in Elphaba for the first time, and that was her ability to defend her boundaries when she herself could not. Something about being stood up for made Galinda feel good, regardless if she needed Elphaba to come to her defense when she did.
Despite her anger towards her for arranging the night, Galinda, for the first time, found herself appreciating her roommate.