How Many More Conversations Do We Have?
Courtesy of: When in Doubt…Zulema and Odette
“God! I’m so tired. So, so tired.” Odette gave a muffled cry, revolted by herself.
“Just rest Odette. Ignoring everything bad that has been, I’m sure you had a good life.”
“My life is unfinished in its interpretation. When I die, whoever is alive, and cares, can pull together the facts of my living years and only then decide on whether I was one of the lucky few.”
“Lucky few to what?”
“Lucky few to have lived. Truly lived.”
“You can decide that now.”
“No. I don’t think it’s the place of the living to make conclusions.”
Zulema bit her lip in thought.
“Zulema, have you known love?” Odette suddenly asked.
“With you I have.” Zulema answered sincerely.
“No, a great romance.”
“My survival can be interpreted as such.”
“It’s not the same thing.”
“Love revives and, I’d like to imagine, it supersedes most hurdles and trifles. I’ve been resurrected after horrible circumstances; I’ve thrown punches to the worst that can be. To me, my breath right now is the best proof of love.”
“It’s not the same thing.” Odette insisted, shaking her head in disgust. “It’s sad when mere survival is mistaken for love. How our standards have fallen.”
“You act as if the standard was ever high. And it’s unfair that you don’t realize what a great act of love it takes to get oneself to survive. It’s easy to give up and hard to continue fighting. It requires a certain strength that I don’t think one man can possess alone. That added boost is love. From whom or what, I don’t know. But it is nurturing, it is kind, and it saves.”
A bended silence, punctured by Odette’s heavy breathing.
“We’ve had this conversation before too, haven’t we?” Odette asked wearily.
“Yeah.” Zulema sighed.
“I’m kind of tired of this happening.” Odette huffed. “Do you think we’ve had every conversation that we could have?”
“Probably. But we might have one more original conversation in us.”
“Just one?” Odette said, deflated.
Thank you for reading!
Keep an eye out for more enlightening conversations between Zulema and Odette in their never ending quest for meaning.
