you've fallen in love with your enemy & other short stories

picnics with your childhood best friend

1950 

You sneakily hide snacks into your backpack, running outside to find your best friend already there, holding a blanket in her tiny hands. You laugh and giggle as quietly as you can, both of you running to the very edge of the garden, a few metres from your house but to you both it feels as if you've moved miles.

You lay the food down and eat. Strawberries dipped in chocolate, your mother's homemade cupcakes. You talk for hours, until the sun rises again and your mother angrily calls you back inside. You and your best friend, against the world. As it always will be.

1965

You look up at the stars, tears falling out of your eyes as she cries too. Telling you she got into the university that you didn't. Telling you she has to move away. Telling you about the halls she'll stay in and the people she'll meet, as if that weren't your dream too.

But you dry your tears and hold her hand. You tell her she should go, it's what's best for her you know. You tell her she needs to experience the world, no matter how much you wish that world had you in it. You smile and tell her you'll miss her, but this is the chance of a lifetime. It will be back to normal in no time.

1975

She giggles as she eats the cupcakes your mother made for you both. After University she stayed away for a while. She needed time to find herself after a bad breakup. And now she's back you're catching up on her changed life. You know she's hoping now she's back it will be like normal again. 

But after all this time you've changed too. The starry night glimmers and reflects off your ring. She spots it too. And understands now. You're engaged. That means a lot less time for both of you to hangout. It means you're about to start a new chapter of your life, one where she's a lot less prominent. You now have a new number one in your life.

You both eat your strawberries and talk. You don't know if this picnic will be your last.

1990

You hand her your homemade cupcakes, both of you lying down in the dark as you've always done. It's a bit weird to others, having picnics in the dark. But it's always been your tradition. You laugh like old times, giggle as if you're children again, smile as if you have no worries.

Both of you look up at the sky. She tells you she's met a new friend, they both share the same interests. And it's been so good staying here with you for so long, but she's always craved the city life. She wants to go and open up her on store in the city, and you're welcome to visit anytime.

You hug and say you'll miss each other. But this goodbye hurts a lot less than the others.

2005

You lie alone on the ground, staring at the night sky. Your husband has passed away. Your children all off away to start their own lives. And you sit, alone, missing your best friend.

You want nothing more than to call her, you miss her. But she needs to have her own life. So you make a life for yourself. You stand up and make yourself happy again. You make new friends, you start new projects, you do what you love. But most of all on those cold dark nights you don't feel lonely even if you're on your own. You feel at peace.

2021

You lie there in the dark, before hearing someone walk beside you. She sits and lies down next to you. Passing you what looks like a poor attempt of your mother's homemade cupcakes. You smile but she looks a little upset. She's angry that you never told her, she thinks you weren't happy.

But you reassure her. You smile and hold her hand, you were happy. And so was she.

In your old age you both look at the stars, how you've done throughout your lives. It feels as if you're naughty kids again, sneaking out at midnight. You talk, and you laugh.

And you're happy, so happy. Because in a world where everything is always changing, you're glad there's one thing that's remained constant. Having picnics with your best friend, underneath the starry night sky.

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