DIFFERENT REALITIES

10:00am

Marina clears the table, soaking the oat-stained dishes in the sink and grabbing a couple of organic bananas for later. The tinkling wind chimes on the terrace remind her to throw a cardigan in her carry all bag. She picks up one year old Jacob, adjusting his baby sling before heading for the door. It is always a mad dash: breakfast, taking Jacob to the baby massage and play group and then on to her yoga class.

Across town, Daniel is having a late breakfast at work. Double espresso, croissant and a cursory chit chat by the water cooler. Everyone is working later these days. There is a rumor the company is going to merge with their biggest competitor. Like everybody else, he wants to be thought of as indispensable. He has been getting in earlier and taking work-related calls at night and weekends. Josephine, his wife in not amused.

Dreamer and would be entrepreneur Samuel rolls over onto his side, opens his eyes, blinks in the sunlight streaming in through the gap in the Ikea curtains and pulls the duvet over his head. Why waste a good morning running about when you could be getting more shut eye? At thirty, he is the bane of his single mother who can be heard down the corridor, getting ready to leave for the boutique she owns on the High street.

2:00pm

Marina and Vanessa are chatting over mint tea at her house. The children, Jacob and Manuel (Vanessa’s) are sleeping in Jacob’s bedroom. They can hear the Mozart, Beethoven, Bach medley that Jacob’s mobile plays on the child monitor. She and Stephen think it is important to introduce a bit of culture early on.

Daniel is finishing another business lunch. Josephine says he’s getting portly at thirty one. What with all the entertaining that comes with work. The eating out part is great, what he doesn’t care for is the ingratiating necessary. Laughing at his boss’s very unfunny wisecracks, schmoozing the clients after the deals are done. Still, that promised promotion would be nice. After all, there’s the holiday home they want to buy in the south of France.

Samuel is debating whether to shave or not. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, he reckons another couple of days won’t do any harm. It gives him a kind of arty / bohemian / musician look. Never mind that he hasn’t really painted since leaving art school; or that the only time he strums his guitar is after drunken sessions with his mates.

1:00am

The lentil sack feels so heavy. Marina struggles with it up a slope. There are other young people sweeping the court yard, washing dishes, chopping up vegetables. She calls out to Stephen. “You’re talking in your sleep honey,” He kisses her forehead. “I dreamt we were at the Ashram. You remember how it was?”
“Yes dear. Let’s go back to sleep.” He puts his arm around her and swiftly starts snoring gently.

Daniel comes up behind Josephine as she removes her makeup at the dressing table. “We had fun, didn’t we?” he asks.
“Sure did. We should do that more often, you know. Just the two of us. Dinner, drinks and a bit of a dance.”
“When I get the promotion, we’ll have more money and time. I promise.”
She turns round and kisses him.
“Now, what about that dessert you promised?” he carries her to bed.

Tonight isn’t any different. Samuel comes back from the bar toilet, wiping any powdery traces from his nose as he rejoins the table. The lads have ordered another round.
“Mate, here’s to a year of adventure,” he shouts above the rock music.
Everyone clinks glasses to celebrate Tom’s upcoming round the world trip. It’s the sort of thing Sam’s thought of doing but is too lazy and too skint to organize. The Thai beaches and bars, shenanigans in Sydney, crazy bus rides in Latin America, kicking back in California…
Maybe next year…