I just received one of those phone calls you really don’t expect. I was working with a colleague of mine on a diagram. We were deep into technical issues when my phone rang. I just saw the country index and thought of my parents forgetting they are abroad right now. I took the phone call and got to realize this voice wasn’t my mother’s.
It was Alex. The - I call you someday during this week - SMS she sent me turned out to be referenced to a 30 days week. I can’t say whether I would have took it if I knew it was her or just pretending being busy. Anyhow I was trapped. No way to escape. I had no other choices than to make conversation. And I had pretty much nothing to say. As a matter of fact I barely talked about myself. Rather than not wanting to say what I am up to since all that time (3 years?) I felt more comfortable asking questions about her life, people we knew back in the days, her family and so on… It’s not that I didn’t want to but I simply couldn’t find anything to say to her.
The phone call lasted for half an hour or so. And I must say having talked about all that just depressed me. Getting some (subjective) news about so-and-so just got me down. Somehow I understand why I left my home town and why I feel better living abroad. It makes more sense to me to start something fresh and new in your life by changing everything. You feel like glue-free .
She insisted on keeping in touch and have a dinner while being in Paris. Now I’m not sure whether I really want to or not. I feel no fun whatsoever to keep contact with someone you have nothing in common with. I refused to plan anything and told her I will just let her know when I’m there. In other words, I will just see the precise day if I’m bored enough to spend sometime with a total stranger.
[...] thinking of a way to fill up my afternoon. Without weighing the pros and cons, I start dialling Alex’s number. Spending few hours with an old friend does not always end well. However, giving my situation, [...]