It Was A Whole Thing | Herophine

Maybe This Time

I never knew I'd be able to walk the cobbled streets of Paris in my twenties. Not that I didn't see myself here but just because there had been too many things occupying my time or needing my attention that I never really got around to planning for my next big adventure.

I guess you could say I'm an adventurer though the only places I've ever been to aside from Australia was the US and only specifically in New York. I didn't even get to step foot in New Jersey. Not once in my one and a half year stay in New York. My ex, Cedric, wasn't a fan of exploring new places no matter how much he knows it means to me. I should have taken that as a warning sign but I didn't and so I ended up with nothing.

The first three years of the past five years have been rough, to say the least. I wasn't able to finish my masters in New York after Cedric and I broke up. I had to move out of our apartment despite having my name signed on the lease. I had to take on extra jobs to pay the impossibly high cost of living in New York. I wasn't cutting it and so I decided to move back to Australia-to the life I knew and have always been comfortable with. The first few months back home was okay, I guess. It was basically monotonous and I felt like I was stuck in a dead-end job. And then dad was diagnosed with cancer and the illness emptied my parent's bank account, forcing me to support them whatever way I can until finally dad succumbed to the disease and said his final goodbye to mum and I on his hospital bed in Sydney. That was probably the most painful part of the past five years.

But I guess you could say that life comes after death.

My life started turning around after dad passed. Mum got back to work which meant I was no longer carrying the burden of paying for medical bills and living expenses of my parents. I enrolled back to finish my masters, only this time was in Sydney. I moved back with my mum which meant half of what I'm earning was kept safe in my account. I knew what I wanted to do once I earn enough money and that's exactly what I did.

Go backpacking around Europe.

I left Sydney a few weeks ago and have been to more counties than I ever thought I'd be able to go to my entire life. Paris is my last stop before heading back home and I'm planning to savor every bit of this vacation before my reality check in three days time.

I find myself wandering the streets around the Eiffel Tower, not really having a concrete plan for the day since I literally jus got here from Rome. I quickly figured out that a structured itinerary isn't the best way to go when you want to explore a city. Most of my best memories on this trip had been during those spontaneous times when I would divert from my set itinerary. I met people and found places and ate food I never read about the cities. And that's exactly what I plan to do here in Paris.

Be spontaneous.

My stomach grumbles and I stifle my giggle. Looks like I know what I'm doing now. I continue to walk down the narrow cobbled street until I see a quaint cafe with tiny round tables set outside and the top part of the Eiffel tower in clear view. Without thinking twice, I step into the cafe and order a caramel macchiato and croissants before stepping back out and settling on one of the round tables out front. I place my sling bag on top of the table and just breathe in Paris, smiling in contentment.

I watch as people pass by until I notice an old couple sitting right across from me outside another restaurant. There's a bouquet of white roses on top of the table as the couple eat their meal, every now and then glancing at each other with smiles on their wrinkled but glowing faces. My heart is literally melting watching them and somehow, my mind drifts back to that one afternoon in Caleb's cafe in New York five years ago.

"I just like people watching. It's kind of relaxing and interesting, if you ask me."

I fondly smile at the memory. It had been so long ago and yet I could still vividly remember the memory of that fateful afternoon.