The Girl Next Door

Second Character: Hope Duffie

Her name sounds so sweet, doesn’t it? If Hope Duffie were a scent, it would be that candle that smells like fresh-baked cookies, or what the set of the Rachael Ray show must smell like. I think her parents named her so appropriately because even her nicknames that come from her name fit her to a T. Hopey is my name of choice for her, so I may refer to her as that at times. Hopey is probably my classiest friend, and by classy, I mean classic. Her style is simple, chic, and understated beauty, kind of like a modern day Audrey Hepburn (which is so appropriate, because Hopey loves Audrey). She’s all-American, and truthfully, she’ll go wherever she wants in life because she just goes about life the right way.

How I met Hope: Back to the fifth grade Warehouse days. Hope was in the neighboring class with Mrs. Aho (I know, how unfortunate, and she married into that!) so we rarely saw each other and honestly didn’t strike up a friendship until the year after. Hope wasn’t the “jump right into the middle of the boy’s football game” or “show everyone up at field day” type on the playground, and so consequently, our recess time didn’t yield much for us.

My first memory of Hope: This one is hard because I can’t peg it down to one memory, so I’ll just share with you an old memory that I love (or just choose to remember fondly so that it doesn’t scar my sense of self). So, being the bit of a tomboy that I was, it only makes sense that my friendship with Hope grew out of a shared sports experience. Seventh grade volleyball- oh the hormones, emotions, and lack of skill! Our poor coach. The blossoming friendship of Caitlin, Hope and I was only stunted by their not-so-ill-intentioned jabs at me in the locker room. Apparently, I made too many excuses (about what, I still don’t know). Either way, every word I uttered was cut off by their mocking voices, sometimes giving me the feeling that I was in an army barrack and not a Christian school locker room. Ok, maybe that was dramatic. But not too much. That may have just ruined Hope’s sugary sweet reputation in your eyes, but in some crazy way, it brought us together. The fact that I wasn’t allowed to joke back made it somehow all the funnier. I don’t know, I still don’t get it, but if I had to endure it to get to this sweet point in our friendship 11 years later, I guess it was worth it.

Highlights of our Glory Years: This one is too easy. Hope was my most loyal field-side friend, cheering just as passionately with me for those football boys. Although she was a cheerleader also, she quit her senior year to stand by me for every play (that may not have been her reason- I may have made that up). Regardless, she loved football with me, and she really fought to understand it, too, and I appreciated that. She understood my heart, she loved those boys in the same why I did, with that Texas football pride deep in her little soul. Hopey is one of those people that takes every moment captive, and high school football was no exception.

Who she was then: If Hope was a stereotyped high school character, she would be the girl next door. Hope described herself as vanilla ice cream, and she is- she’s great with just about anything, and the simple, sweet treat that everyone likes. Hope was the guy’s little sister and the girl’s best friend. She just fit into your snuggle spot when you hugged her, and when you saw her walking down the hallway, you wondered if you just stepped inside a Gap commercial. She was good at pretty much anything she attempted; if she didn’t attempt it, maybe she just had the wisdom to know it wasn’t her thing, but it worked for her, because everything she did do, she did with such excellence. She was the girl that every mom wanted you to be friends with, the one that every boy’s mother dreamed up wedding images with. While Jen was homecoming queen, Hope was Ms. FCS. So appropriate, everybody loved Hope, and she deserved that title. You could most easily find her during her senior year living up every moment with her camera in hand to capture it, taking every chance she could to be with friends. She’d help you justify not doing your homework for that “last time we’ll all go to Cheesecake Factory at lunchtime in February.” Thank you, Hope, for feeding my nostalgic thoughts about high school through your sweet spirit.

Who she is now: Even though Hope is still the same, sweet-spirited little piece of apple pie, she’s truly grown into a woman. Even though I’m not a Baylor Bear, just through passing observation anyone could tell you she has stolen the heart of her University as well. With her love for people unrivaled and her quiet confidence in who the Lord has made her to be, Hope is truly a role model more than she knows. I know her Chi Omega sisters would share my sentiment. She’s studying business now, and when she graduates in May, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if she opened her own business right out of the gates. Because here’s the thing- some things we know won’t change about Hope, her bright personality being one of them. Some things, though, are total wildcards, and she’ll always surprise you. I love that she has that balance of the predictable and the carpe diem attitude in her. She’s such a go-getter, and she’s driven by love. That will get her so far in this life.

Who would play her if my made up book hit the big screens: so hard; maybe someone all-American like Meg Ryan, or if she appeared in singer form, naturally Carrie Underwood

I like that Hope isn’t too far away. With Waco only an hour and a half from College Station, I like the comfort in knowing that I can get to her in a short drive if I have to, and that anytime I head back through to Dallas, she has no excuse to not grab lunch with me. Something that cannot be left out when describing Hope: she is probably the most experienced story-teller of all time. She loves her friends so much and commits every little moment to memory, and she shares that with those she loves. I feel like I personally know her new college friends, and when I get the chance to be with them, I feel like they know me, too. She's just really considerate like that. I love how silly she is, how she’s always willing to be spontaneous, but also just as willing to be lame on a Friday night with me. She’s an incredible cook/baker, and she learned hospitality from her mama. She has strong convictions that she lives by, and she knows when and how to share them. Such a strong woman that truly lives in obedience to her Lord- it makes her even prettier than she already is!

Pictures of Hope

I Love this girl!

RB