Three lives

“All human beings have three lives: public, private, and secret.” Gabriel Garcia Marquez believed that we create who we are by what we share. For example, the public life is that which any ordinary person can see of you; the private life is that open only to close friends, loved ones and family, or to someone who is willing to investigate and discover it; and the secret life is that that which is kept only to oneself (and sometimes even from oneself!).

Our personality is formed according to the experiences we have, the relationships we create, and the things we share with others. Perhaps in this digital age, it becomes harder to have a private or secret life, but we all have things we only disclose to those closest to ones, and thoughts that we only keep to ourselves.

The things we let out are what makes us who we are. But it is also those things we don’t say, that influence who we become. It takes strength and courage to let people into your life, let alone your mind and heart. And it is only with time that you manage to discern who those truly worth it really are.

What we need to remember though, is that in the end, we only have one life to live. So let’s make the most of it.

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The first rays

As the first ray of sunlight fell on her sheets that morning, Élodie knew she didn’t want to get up. She didn’t want to spend yet another day single and alone. And frankly she was somewhat disgusted at how a single day could be so commercialized – as if love was not something that should be felt or displayed every day.

But when Yuki, her Yorkshire puppy jumped on her bed, with eyes sparkling, nose dripping and tail wagging, Élodie knew that all that mattered was the people you shared your life with, no matter if they weren’t there every second of it.

She got up with Yuki hopping around her feet.

It wasn’t about the candy and flowers that day. Because she had a great time anyway. With friends. People she could share the thoughts in her head with; the things that troubled her the most. People she could be weird and silly with and not care. Love would come and find her either way. She didn’t have to go looking for it.

For now, she felt happy. And she believed more than anything that the dreams your heart makes, your mind cannot follow. Because, sometimes, your dreams are too big to utter. And a love that completes you, will always be one of them. But that doesn’t mean you should make it your life’s purpose.

Yuki knew that too.

That’s why she pushed Giacomo in her path, that next day in the park, when she ran off and began skipping around him – a tall, elegant man who was soaking up sun on a bright afternoon. And that is usually how the best relationships begin – out of a simple coincidence, when you least expect them.

 

Also part of Daily Prompt: First Light

Treacherous Love

She could understand when he would arrive because her heart skipped a beat. It was as if she had a telepathic sensor locked with his presence and she could sense him coming a mile away. She found herself longing for the moment she would see him again and couldn’t wait for the time to pass until that ‘next time’. She knew it was wrong. But she couldn’t help it.

She hoped he felt the same. He seemed to show that he did. She felt so safe and natural with him. As if the entire world disappeared in his arms, melting away in his kiss. But it never lasted for more than a few hours. And that prickled her heart like a rose losing its petals and having only its thorns remain. And as time passed, it hurt all the more.

They both knew it was wrong. Their society would not accept it. She was betrothed to someone else. Someone she had never seen before the day of her wedding. And he returned home to another. One others chose for him. She couldn’t stand the thought that someone else was sharing the most private moments of his life. She wanted that to be her. She wanted to be the extension to his arm.

They moved into this relationship knowing what they were getting into. They promised it would be carnal, to satisfy the lust they felt for each other. Yet, she fell deeper. She allowed herself to fall in love with him. To get stuck onto a reckless path, one she nonetheless enjoyed. And each time she saw him, talked to him, touched him, she was swept away further. Into a loop she knew she would never be able to untangle from. She found herself begging him to stay when she knew she should not even be there. His name constantly echoed in her mind. He was all she could think of and kept hoping he did the same. She could not step back though. Not now. Because they were both in too deep. And, quite frankly, she didn’t want to either.

Nothing safe is worth the dive. So maybe, she thought, it’s not really about that happy ending that they know will never come. It’s about the story they share together. And maybe that would make it all worth it. Because some hearts are meant to be broken, so that others can find their happiness.