She leaves the subway, adjusts her lace blouse and greets with a smile and a “good morning” everyone who crosses her path to the building's entrance. At this time of the morning, there aren't that many people.
At the entrance to the building, he sighs. He greets the doorman with a half smile and takes a sip of yesterday's coffee, hoping it's still warm. He steps back to look at the sky. Whether day or night, Marina has a habit of looking at the sky. She doesn't believe in flying saucers, but she always has the impression that the sky will reveal itself or that something magnificent will happen above! It was not this time. However, she notices that on the bench near the exit there is a handmade notebook with a children's bookmark on any page, and on the floor there is a blue Bic that moves back and forth with the unethical wind of this spring.
“It's none of my business,” he concludes. And resumes its path towards the 4th floor. Marina turned 45 last Friday and as an unforgettable birthday gift, she decided to treat herself with “maturity” and, therefore, that was her last ballad, her last tequila shot, her last first kiss in a new mouth. She switched from pink to beige and only wants to listen to MPB. Now, she is a woman who makes mid-term and long-term plans. Marina finally grew up.
He resurrected an agenda he got from some ex-girlfriend. Beautiful black leather cover. She came to the time to use it and listed all the changes to make her a better, truly grown-up person.
It was raining. As she sipped hot, fresh coffee, she listed 10 maturity essentials, in descending order.
Item number 4 is: “Stay close to people better than me”.
Marina had known this expression in some motivational speech and, since then, she got tired of finding it in books, lectures and through the mouth of one and the other.
Intrigued, she carefully studied all the people close to her. She analyzed her past and present friends and envisioned how they could be her future friends. She recalled all the affective relationships she has ever had.
She thought about the uncle at the pub with whom she buys 1 coffee and 1 cheese bread every day and, as a gift, listens to the most dirty jokes that make her have spasms of random laughter throughout the day at work, on the bus and on the street.
She remembered her hairdresser who gives crazy seduction tips and who taught her how to take care (with unbelievable success) of her hair with cheap products that everyone has in the kitchen.
Her best friend dropped out of high school and later dropped everything else to live on the beach and is always there when Marina needs a safe haven.
He recalled that he has had the same neighbors for over 20 years and that they are an extension of his family, since everyone in his house speaks so loudly that it is possible to easily hear everything that is being said 3 houses above, below and in front of him (thanks to God, the bottom is walled).
With some regret, she concluded that she will never be a lady, since she herself has inherited the same habits of expressing herself with great intensity.
Displeased, Marina took a deep breath and looked up at the half-white, half-lilac ceiling.
In her sad look, she didn't know if she regretted the time she wasted not properly taking advantage of the possibilities of relationships or if she felt the pain of having to give up so many people she'd known casually throughout her 45 years.
He remembered how fun it is when everyone gets together and starts laughing and then suddenly they start arguing, and then laughing again. laughed.
Marina repeated the coffee, this time bitter. She was trying to understand what “people better than other people” actually means. As she didn't come up with a satisfactory answer, she decided to cross the item off the list, but the pen didn't catch.
“Where is my blue Bic that never fails?”
