Expat Laura
the way things are
2004-05-08 | 6:25 p.m.

When someone leaves you, apart from missing them, apart from the fact that the whole little world you've created together collapses, and that everything you see or do reminds you of them, the worst is the thought that they tried you out and, in the end, the whole sum of parts which adds up to you got stamped REJECT by the one you love. How can you not be left with the confidence of a passed-over British Rail sandwich? -- Bridget Jones' Diary

For once in my life, have had a momentous revelatory thought without the aid of either a)100 friends b)weeping, sobbing, teeth gnashing c)falling over and bashing head painfully.

Miraculous thought process went something like so:

Laura (walking down the street): Lalala, sha li lah, oooh, boop boop bi doop do ... I am young. I have so many more relationships ahead of me. Look at the bigger picture, LauraBitch. I have learned from Will, I can be thankful. But now it's time to move on, because this he has been one person in my life - but there will be many more. Let him have the space he needs, and I will take my space and do whatever I want to do. In the big scheme of things - this is so small.

You don't know how proud I am of myself. I have never been hit with such a clear understanding of life - and what this one, tiny second is in it. This has been a bad experience but one that when you look at the whole, is very small indeed.

I had one years worth of excellent, funny, intimate, lovely moments with someone whom I loved. And 1 month of shitty, angry, pissed of repressed moments. So what? People go through life, and it is hard. But it gets better - and I realise that now. And just because I am Will's 'reject', that doesn't mean I won't be someone else's ... not reject(?). I can't wait for the future, because it is my life. And I can finally begin to let go of the past.

Maybe we can even be friends in the future, although that may be wishful thinking. But I won't be angry, or sad or vengeful or any of the things I was before. I feel...like this is how it should be.

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