"Oh my God that was good." I said as Ali and I walked out of a restaurant. We had come here to eat lunch, and hopefully try some new food. The restaurant wasn't too fancy or super big, but it did have a nice homey feeling to it. Curtains on the windows, dimmed lights, the walls painted a nice tan color, and flowers at the center of the table. Something that makes me want to go there again. The weather outside was the same as it has been since we got here; cold, with a bit of of a breeze. People everywhere were dressing up in pants, huge jackets, boots and hats, including me and Ali. We took a right turn out of the restaurant doors, walking down a long street on the sidewalk. We weren't really walking to a specific destination, but just walking around aimlessly.
"So you liked the food?" Ali asked sarcastically giving me a smile. She had done some research on good places to eat near our apartment, and did a good job too.
"Definitely." I said. We continued walking down the street, until I saw a little park with benches and suggested we go there. It was gorgeous. Green grass I mean... something you don't see much of where we used to live.
We sat down on one of the benches, and Ali decided to write in her journal. She's always writing. And lately she's been asking for help. I'm not a writter. That's not what I do. That's her passion. Ever since I met her in the 8th grade, that's what she loved to do; wanted to make a career out of.
I sit beside her, watching her twirl her pen, thinking of what to write next. Just staring at the paper, concentrating, like it held all the answers to life.
"Hey... can you help me? I don't have any ideas on what to do..." She asked.
"Come on Ali, you can think of something. Think of everything we did here, saw, ate, tried on and looked through."
"I know, I know. Its just not all coming together."
"Well, I know you can do this."
I watched her continue thinking, then stop and close her journal in frustration. Time for the pep talk.
"Ok Ali, there's got to be some ideas going on in that brain of yours."
"Yeah, but not entertaining, something that people want to read. Just a bunch of useless crap."
"No, don't say that. Why would you think that?"
"Because its hopeless. I suck at writting."
"Do you not pay attention to all the reviews and great comments we get on our magazine? Its not just me here, your the writer. I'm just the one who puts a picture to a story."
"Yeah, that's true, but I don't like my writing, and I don't think anyone else does either."
"Well your wrong. I do. I love your writing. And I'm pretty sure a lot of people who buy our magazine do too. You don't just buy one for the pictures. You get the full package. If someone just wants pictures, they can go online for that."
We sit there for a few seconds quietly, listening to all the noise around us going on. All the people surrounding us in this big place.
"Yeah... I guess your right."
"And look over there now. Look at that woman holding our magazine. Reading it... smiling."
With her head still looking down, I see a faint smile across her face. Her dimple apearing after so long. I sit there with her, looking at everything around us and listening.
"I'm gonna go over there" I say pointing, "and try and take some pictures of the super delicious restaurant we just came from." Getting up to move to the spot about 50 feet away, I look back at Ali, and she had just taken out her journal again. She's sitting there thinking, but soon starts writing. Just putting everything out, everything that was kept inside because of fear and insecurities, onto those blank pieces of paper.
I start taking pictures of the restaurant in a monogram filter, but get sidetracked. I turn my camera over to where Ali is sitting, and start taking pictures. I can see her smiling in them too, happy about what she's doing.
. . .
The rest of the day, we walked around London just talking, not caring that it felt like we were freezing. Talking about our past, what we always thought would happened and didn't. All the things that didn't come true, like her being married by now, or me owning my own salon. Talking about the present and all our problems. Talking about the future and what we hope will happen. But we also talked about the good things in life, big and small. Taking hold of all the great memories we've shared together, never wanting to let go. Laughing and having fun, not really with a care or a big responsibility. Enjoying the simpler times in our life, when the big desicion was what we were going to wear to prom. Or not going to the same highschool, but managed to still be as close as ever.
Remember eveything good that's happened in life and never let that go, and don't ever give up on your passion.
