The Hidden Path (WINNER OF THE BEAUTY AWARD for Spiritual)

The Ball

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.
- Dan Stanford/Randy Pausch

"We are leaving in ten minutes, whether you are ready, or not!" Beni shouted. He was thundering down the stairs in my parents' house, taking two steps at a time.

That boy certainly had a gift of making himself known. The noise he created was enough to wake the dead.

Or my sister.

"For God's sake, can you not tone it down?" I heard her exclaim in an exasperated voice from out of her room.

Beni did not respond. Whether he had not heard her, or he was simply ignoring my nagging sister. . . who knew?

Standing in the upstairs bathroom in front of the vanity mirror, I did not care either way. I was busy getting ready for the ball and – frankly – they both equally and almost effortlessly managed to be rather annoying at times. Like on that day.

Therefore, I thought they deserved to clash with each other every now and then.

Anyway, this was probably not going to be a problem for me much longer, since I was planning on hooking Beni up with Sofi.

That evening at the ball.

Ever since my best friend had confessed that she was crushing on my boyfriend some time after the new year, I had considered the matter and come up with this perfect solution. To my feeling of being trapped and her feelings of love. I would be free once again and no longer tied down, Sofi would be happy to have him and Beni would probably not mind one way or the other.

A win-win-win situation. I smiled at my face in the bathroom mirror, while carefully applying some turquoise eyeliner.

"Ha. . . tsi, . . . tsi, . . . tsi!"

You know what they say: when you're having a thought and you sneeze immediately afterwards, it's a confirmation.

Although. . .  due to my ever-present hay fever, I constantly suffered from these body-wracking spasms. Therefore, I was not entirely sure, whether the saying still applied in my case. . .

Frowning, I examined the slightly crooked line framing my right eye. Sneezing-spells were definitely a bit impractical when you were trying to put on make-up.

"We're leaving!" Beni called up from downstairs.

"I'm ready!" Gute Güte, this boy clearly did not possess a single patient bone in his body!

"No, you are not!" Beni exclaimed, thundering up the stairs, "otherwise, you would be standing in front of the door right now, wearing shoes and a coat."

"Jeez, I just have to grab my bag and we can go! Relax, will you?" I snapped back, having successfully redrawn the turquoise line. Brushing Beni on purpose, as I stomped passed him on my way downstairs, I inwardly complained to myself: Why on earth is he stressing that much? If we left right now, we would be much too early, anyway!

"Bye Mum, bye Dad!" I shouted a bit later, when I was about to walk out the door.

"See you soon and drive carefully!" Mum called back from my parents' room where both of them had been hiding, getting dressed for the ball themselves.

After only thirty minutes, Beni, Marti, Izi, Sofi and I walked through the entrance-hall of the big Congresshaus together, having met in front of its doors.

The first impression of the reception area was one of grandeur and splendor. The bright light of the high up chandeliers reflected off the polished stone floor and columns, as well as the occasional wall mirror. It evoked within me the sensation of having stepped into another era. Walking a bit straighter in my floor-length, white gown I quickly followed Beni, who was already handing over his coat to the cloakroom attendant.