Swipe For Love

Story Of My Life

Come on, Ann. You have to go to sleep. Enough with all this. You can calm down and sleep. You have had your antidepressants so this whole thing will be fine and you eventually will go to sleep. I can do it. Or maybe not. I have a trial tomorrow. I have to be fresh and awaken in order to be more focused. Well, I am always focused, organized and dedicated. I go straight up to my target.

Ann sighed and looked at the window's direction observing the night lights of the city.

Beautiful.

And with that thought of the night lights and the moonlight, she eventually fall asleep.

The next day she had a trial. She is a corporate lawyer, so she deals with businesses and represents them in court. Two businesses were against each other, the one accusing the other for illegal practices. She was representing the real estate one.

She woke up with a headache. She was feeling her eyelids heavy and her blood flowing into her body, like it was going to pump from her head. She was trying to relax somehow while searching what to wear.

After a while she had her coffee and she was ready to go. She sent a last email before she locked the door.

The trial went as she predicted and so she won the case. She walked herself out grabbing her stuff with a victorious smile on her face, like any successful lawyer would have done. She stood outside the court to check some emails she got. Just then, she received a message from her sister, saying :

Dinner at my house tonight? Need you.

Great. What happened again?!

She took a deep breath and responded:

OK, I'll come.

At least, I will have se quality family time with my sister, Nick and my niece.

At the evening, Annette knocked the door of her sister's house, carrying a bottle of red wine in a tall paper bag. Her sister opened up and Annette went to greet the others.
They chatted for a bit until the food was served at the table.

My sister overcame herself already. This rigatoni with the beetroot and the mushrooms along with the delicious salsa was just amazing. She is a great cook, I have to admit that.

"So what did you need me for?", Annette said sipping her wine.

"Well, I want your opinion in something."

"Okay, go on."

"There's a guy named Robert that works at my hospital. He's a doctor and - "

"No."

"But you haven't even let me finish!"

"And I won't! Come on now, Carol! How many times do I have to tell you that I am perfect the way I am and I don't relationships right now?!"

"I didn't say anything about relationships. I would suggest that I could introduce you to him and you could get to know each other."

"Yeah, and the answer is no!"

"Come on, auntie! What do you have to lose, anyway?", said Katie.

"Katie, not you, too!"

"But it's not a big deal. Go out, have some fun. When was your last date, anyway?", Katie continued.

"I -"

Annette let out a sigh.

"Exactly.", said Carol.

"I am not doing it. No. And stop with that shit already okay?"

The room filled with silence. Everyone stopped eating and they all starred at each other. Nick decided to break the tension :

"So how went that trial of yours?"

"Very good, actually. I won."

"Congrats, then! I am drinking to that!", he said clinging his glass with Annette's.

"Thanks for the support, Nick. And Carol, Katie, I appreciate your concern but I am happy that way. I am more assured, organized and dedicated. I function better. I don't need a man to make me happy. I can do it by myself."

"Yeah yeah, the same Ann we know. Years before you weren't that brutal. You believed in love, remember?"

"We are not talking about that. The past is in the past. Now I am a different person. I have matured and understand better some things now. I am finally put my self-being first."

"Sure you have done that and I am proud of you and your progress but -"

"No buts. Let's just continue our dinner."

That night Annette went home with an unusual sadness in her eyes. She went straight up to her bedside table and took out some pills that help her for her anxiety issues.

She remembered. She knew what Carol was implying. A tear went down her cheek and made a little stain on her pillow.

Damn it.

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