A chance (An original life story).
There was no place for chance in Paula’s life.
It was not by chance that she got her degree, it was no accident she met her husband and both her kids were perfectly planned.
She planned her career in advance very non-coincidentally and laboriously: worked hard at her papers, read a lot, did a lot of analyzing, slept and ate little like a young 18-year old girl should.
Her friends who were enjoying their school years to the fullest told her she should put her books away and do something more exciting.
She liked working as an elementary school teacher.
She loved those funny trusting kids and she smiled looking at them scribbling their first words sticking their tongues out. She never thought that all those staff meetings, seminars and parent guidance meetings were boring — she actually enjoyed them!
She enjoyed all kinds of school tours, excursions and social events. Her languid and dignified fellow teacher named Ariella carried on her educational mission just like her unusual name — graciously and forbearingly.
“Work is for getting salary, nothing more, nothing less.”
— She would say. — “And what kind of salary do we have? That’s right; minimal. So why wasting your energy and your beauty for a minimal salary? Why fussing around, what are you trying to prove? Live for yourself, girl. This is how you keep your nerves and good looks”.
Her marriage with Bob, like it was mentioned before, was not accidental either.
A man of few words, Robert had his both feet firm on the floor and proposed to her in the same reserved and short-spoken way: no happy smiles, no colorful words. Simple, steady, usual. Living with her husband made Paula quietly sad, but she never admitted it, even to herself. They never went out anywhere: no movies, no theatres, no museums. Bob thought this all a mere waste of time: “Just sitting or walking and staring at things? Total waste of time and money.”
Bob didn’t drink, nor did he smoke and spent his evenings at home in front of his TV eating nuts. He would never give any money to her, though — he was always of an opinion that money is safer with him.
A good, non-incidental husband.
Kids were totally non-coincidental either:
a boy and a girl, the former a year older than the latter. Bob did everything to plan both pregnancies: did lots of estimations and avoided any signs of affection when he didn’t think it was necessary. And she wanted affection so much!
Her kids grew up quite normal, just like all the other kids: naughty, noisy, sometimes lazy and whiney.
Once in the middle of September, when the yellow-eyed autumn reigned in the town streets, Paula decided she should go for a walk in the only park her town had.
She sat on the bench that needed some painting for at least a decade and started watching the chaotic dance of golden leaves slowly falling down from the trees. It seemed to her that this was the way her life was tumbling down: mysteriously, sleepily, slowly.
She felt a sudden desire for something new, something crazy and something that’s full of life. She wanted something incidental!
— Can I join you in your loneliness?
Paula lowered her head and looked at a nice-looking, smiling man.
— They are falling down beautifully, don’t you think?
She felt her heart getting hot and restless. And she thought happily: