C'est La Vie

It was the first day for Jane in her old city after leaving it for 20 years. She walked in the unforgettable fancy streets where she used to hang out with her friends in the past. As she walked she remembered the old days, the old dreams and fantasies that they all used to share with one another. Each one of them had a different dream. If you had listened to anyone of those girls talking about their hopes and ambitions, you would have got a glimpse of what they had been through and what they desperately needed.

While wandering in her favorite street that she always dreamed of buying an apartment there, Jane stopped in front of a fancy store. When she saw it, she decided to enter. As she entered all the salespeople were competing with one another trying to show her the most expensive and luxurious good that they had only for special customers despite seeing her for the very first time in their lives. They did so, because of her appearance. She was a lady in the truest sense. Her appearance, jewelry and clothes revealed her very well status. Jane seemed to like nothing of what they showed her, or you would rather say that she pretended to like nothing. She got out of the store empty handed leaving the salespeople disappointed of failing to convince her to buy anything.

Unlike the salespeople she wasn't. On the contrary, she was smiling. She remembered that in the past she couldn't dare to enter that store in particular. She used to stand in front of it and look at the people from outside buying the most expensive things ever. But, now she had the luxury of entering that store and being even better than those people she used to envy in the past by not buying anything not because she couldn't afford to, but because she just didn't like anything.

Then, she passed by what used to be her favorite café where she used to hold reunions every month for about four years with her high school friends. She decided to go in and remember the good old days. The place had greatly changed, she thought at the first moment she walked in. It wasn't cozy anymore, at least for her, as it was over crowded with young people and couples. She waited until the table where she used to gather around with her old friends was empty and sat to it.

She sat for a while drinking her old latte that she was used to like, thinking of the past. She missed it a lot. She missed her old friends, her old enthusiasm, and her old life. She even missed the old café with its old breathtaking atmosphere. She stared at people around her, trying to find people whom she used to know from the old days. She wondered if her friends were still holding the same reunion every month as they used to. She wanted to ask anyone from the staff, but she didn't. She was afraid that she would make no sense to them, as nobody knew her. She couldn't find any of the old staff. So, she decided to find her friends herself.

She immediately left and headed to her old apartment and spent hours looking for her address book. Jane was not of the patient kind, but she didn't get bored as she was looking for it. She desperately needed her old friends. Finally, she happily found it. She looked through it flipping it and looking at the names. As she read each name, she remembered with it the happy youthful memories. She tried to get in touch with some of her friends, but all in vain. Some changed their numbers, others moved to somewhere else and other numbers were out of service.

Despite this, Jane didn't give up. After all those years, she never lost her perseverance. She, at last, found Isabel who didn't believe herself when she heard Jane's voice. They talked for hours trying to catch up. But those hours weren't enough to tell each other what happened during 20 years. So they decided to meet next day in their old café.

Next day both Isabel and Jane were at their homes getting ready to meet each other. Both of them were very concerned with their appearance, not because it was typical of them to pay much attention to how they looked, but because each one of them wanted to show the other that she was happy and well off. They were also worried about what they would talk about. Each one wanted to ignore the traumatic experiences that she had been through. They were ready to talk only about their achievements, successes and happiness. They were too afraid to show their vulnerabilities. In other words, they were too concerned with picture perfect.

They met at last. They chatted for hours, but there was something missing. There was neither any sincerity nor any integrity any more. Their friendship was now nothing like the past. As they talked, they both envied each other. Jane had always wanted to marry the love of her life. Instead, she married a man whom she never loved. She only married his fortune, luxurious apartments and fancy cars. For her, Isabel had all that. Isabel had the love of her life that Jane never found. Isabel, on the other hand, had always dreamed of that A- list lifestyle that Jane had at that point of her life. Inside each one of them, they imagined what it would be if they traded places. They thought that that would be a lot better.

Then, each one went on her own way without promising one another to meet again, as if they only needed one reunion to catch up and fantasize about what would have happened if they switched places. Jane went home where her husband was busy doing his work. He didn't even notice that she came back. She went to her room not thinking of Isabel any more but of where she was going shopping the following day. As for Isabel, she also stopped thinking of Jane. She didn't do that on purpose, but because she was worried about what to do for dinner that night.