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Dan-Ole sat by himself on a lonely chair placed along the wall and quietly observed all the other partygoers. He was wearing an ugly Christmas sweater. Well, ugly to some but not to him, thanks to the beautiful European robins decorating the front. And of course he had his strawberry hat; it was his comfort item. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little stupid because this was clearly a formal party but the invitation hadn't said anything about such crucial information. Dan-Ole was sure of it as he'd read through it thoroughly many times. And no matter how hard he tried, he failed to really feel at home at the party, and his choice of attire, as much as he liked it, only made him feel even more out of place. Dan-Ole was certain he stood out like an ugly duckling surrounded by all the stunning swans.
In his hand he held a drink he really wasn't interested in trying. Someone had given it to him shortly after he'd first walked in. He'd simply been polite and accepted it. It was nice and red. It smelled like cranberries and some kind of wintery spice but Dan-Ole wasn't sure what it was. Maybe he could go and ask if there were any non-alcoholic options. Surely there was someone who'd be able to answer his questions. Or maybe the drink could act as liquid courage. Dan-Ole didn't mind a little bit of alcohol on rare, special occasions like this, but he didn't really need it to function, either. And if he was completely honest with himself, he wasn't in the mood to have a drink of any kind. So he just sat around and watched while Bertel got around and mingled with the other guests. Bertel.. He was the only reason Dan-Ole was at the party to begin with. And it looked like the man didn't even need him. At least one of them was properly in their element.
It felt like they'd already been at the Christmas party for hours. No one really was paying any attention to Dan-Ole. More than anything, he seemed to be a wallflower while everyone else had fun. And Dan-Ole didn't like being the one to complain, but he was feeling quite miserable. Sure, he could go to Bertel and say that he wanted to leave. But he wasn't going to do that, not when Bertel seemed to have such a good time. But Dan-Ole couldn't lie to himself; he'd much rather be at bingo, or just at home. In both of those cases he'd at least be able to feel like he belonged. But he was a good friend and had tagged along out of the goodness of his heart.
Another half an hour passed by without anything changing. No one still had cared to come check up on him and see if he was alright. Almost like he'd turned invisible. He was just staring into the depths of his still untouched drink when Bertel finally came back to him, seemingly in very good spirits. Dan-Ole smiled at him automatically.
"Hey,"
he greeted, doing his best not to seem or sound upset.
"Enjoying the party? You look like you are."
The smile lingered on his face for a short while longer, but never quite reached his eyes like it did every time he got really excited about something in the way only he could. Still, he tried so hard to look and sound convincing so he wouldn't ruin Bertel's evening. But, as so many times before, Bertel was able to see right through his friend's smile. And as Dan-Ole realized this, he allowed it to fade away. There was no need to pretend as he had, at last, been seen.
"Well, sure, these people are nice enough to shoot the shit with, for a while or two.. Even if most of them are as dull as they can get. But you look like you've been locked in a bird cage when all you'd want to do is fly away."
Dan-Ole smiled at Bertel's best attempt at coming up with a bird-related metaphor.
"You're not having much fun, are you?"
"Well, no.."
Dan-Ole admitted, but then hurried to add:
"But it's alright, Bertel, really. You can go back to talking with people. I'm fine just sitting back here. People are letting me mind my own business, it's great."
Bertel frowned as he looked at his friend and studied the expression on his face. That forced, unhappy smile.
"You know, Dan-Ole.. I think we'll be heading home,"
Bertel announced, much to Dan-Ole's surprise and poorly hid relief.
"What? No, Bertel.. Really, it's fine,"
he still tried to convince Bertel to stay.
"Dan-Ole, I won't let you sit back here by yourself. I think I've seen enough of this party."
Bertel then pulled Dan-Ole on his feet, took the drink from him and emptied the glass without hesitation.
"There. Now, let's go home. Get something to eat and watch TV for a while."
They then left the party together and headed to the car. Neither one of them looked back.