I promised my wife: “We will have a good life, no matter how hard you have to work for it.”
She simply looked at me and said:
“No.”
Well, worth a try…
Now we are sitting in a nice cafe called “with love” in the more posh part of Santander.
Evgenia takes a sip of her coffee, smiles at me across the top of the cup: What's your next move?
I am not sure.
I lean back in my chair, breath in and let my gaze wander across the room. I like that there is space here. The tables are few and far apart. I can breathe. The guests are in their late twenties or early thirties. Young people. Friends hug when they meet, lovers whisper to each other, a dog sleeps under a table. Some people brought their babies. Calm, friendly and happy is this place.
There is a sofa on my right. A baby is sitting on the upholstery and it’s so small – being able to sit without falling over is still a brand-new sensation. The babies’ eyes are crystal clear and of a light blue – like the sky above Santander Bay.
Her eyes find mine. I smile. The baby takes her time, processes what she sees. Then the tiny mouth opens, the eyes go wide in complete surprise – and then she laughs. Pure, undiluted joy is radiating from her warm little face, infecting everyone who witnesses the little scene.
I turn back to my wife. There was something that I had worried about, but I can’t remember what it was. And right now I couldn't care less.
In this moment I am happy.
And that's what matters.
This is what I want to do in my writing. Make you smile. Make you forget about your worries and live in the moment. For the length of a story and hopefully beyond.
I wish you joy. Chris
PS: I still need to work out how to make a living as a writer, but I will figure it out. And whatever it is that you are trying to achieve: You will get there. Just give yourself a break once in a time. Nearly all of our challenges are marathons, not sprints.