At the Same Place by Webbielady

"Where are you going to have lunch?"
"The same place."
That's noontime.

"Where are you going to have dinner?"
"The same place."
That's evening.

It is more than three years already that I blurt the same answer out every time someone asks me about my eating place. It is always at "the same place".

I am Antonio and I am in my late thirties. I am a municipal employee in my home town. I live a regular life but there is always a strong taste of bitterness in it. That is why I always, and yes, literally "always", eat at the same place to at least remember that once, life had something sweet in it too.

I have very vivid and sweet memories at this place I refer to as "the same place". It is a restaurant where I always go to eat and I always want to remember those good old memories and keep them alive inside of me. These memories are what make me keep going in my day-to-day sorrowful existence.

In the past years my lovely wife, Heda, would always ask me if we could meet at lunchtime at this restaurant. During Saturdays, we also made it a point to have a delicious dinner at this place as we look at the reddish-orange setting sun across the horizon and hear the hit of the waves against a big rock along the sea's shoreline just a few meters away from where we were seated. This local and old bamboo-made, palm-roofed restaurant can only cater a maximum of 40 diners in their 10 regular-sized four-seater tables. Its local ambiance and local taste really suited our preferences and it made us feel at peace and with nature and it seemed that it helped us get more and more deeply inlove with each other..

During the last months of my wife's life, we were struggling to stay happy. The fact that her days were counted due to her having a brain tumor did not stop us from enjoying life. It was sad everytime we realize that soon I would be left out alone in this world but that was the best we could do: be together and be happy together while we still could. In fact, she made me promise her that I would continue to enjoy life after she's gone and even repeated a thousand times that I should look for someone to replace her place as my love as soon as I could so that I would not feel so much pain of losing her.

At this restaurant, during the few days of her life, we spent many moments reminiscing the good old days. We talked and talked about the beautiful past, how we met at this place, how we dined here for so many times, how we shared our dreams while we were still dating and how we continued and have our love survive until the end. It could be badly sad at times but it is a public place with lovely surroundings that the deep sadness that always brush my heart can be controlled easily. I know for sure this would not be the case if we were inside our home and alone. This place has witnessed my happy days, how I discovered my love and nurtured it. It also a witness to my sorrowful days, how I hold on to happiness despite it slipping uncontrollably our of my grip... it is a witness to my lost love... my lost life. It is a witness to my struggling survival and my longing for my lost beloved Heda.

Now, my wife has passed away and it's more than three years already and yet, I am still stuck to this place. Who can blame me? I remember, when people asked me where I would have my lunch, I would reply with a happy voice and wide smile: "At the restaurant, with my Love." That reply was valid at least four years ago.

My Antipatic Colleague

She is always irritable. She is my colleague. She is in her early forties and I really dislike the way she acts. It seems to me that she has severe mood swing problems: one moment she is talking to me like she's my best friend in this world, and one minute later, she's gonna bark at me like a stray hound! I just don't know what's into her.

Almost everyone at work dislike her. She is really very uncongenial. However, I always try to be nice to her and be kind despite the fact that she unreasonably barks at me most of the time. I always think that behind someone's attitude, there is always a deeper reason and a deeper meaning and explanation.

I was correct!

One sunny afternoon, one of her friends visited her. They sat just a few meters away from me from the office garden. It was our afternoon 30-minute break so it was a coincidence that I was also taking some sun and reviewing my language course lessons near where they sat and discuss stuff. Naturally, I overheard their conversation.

Her visitor is the nurse of her son. The son is a vegetable (paraplegic???? or something like that?). I learned later on, both from the conversation I heard and from people who knew her better than me, that the son, two years ago met an accident in a ski lesson in Italy. The accident has damaged the spinal column area (nervous system organ) and resulted to permanent paralysis of his limbs. Thus, her son can only live if the nurse or his mother (my colleague) is attending him.

I was really saddened by the discovery that I made. I understood why she's behaving so. I found the reason for her mood swings and irritated manner. I uncovered the meaning of everything. I never regret that I always tried to be good to her. She is feeling so bad for the situation of her son. I feel lucky for myself as I am so young, at 24 years of age and healthy and no worries about the health of my loved ones.

From that discovery, I even tried to be even more good to her. I know it's so difficult from her side and understanding from her colleagues is a big factor for her. Now I am thankful that I did not try to bark back during those times she barked at me.