Learning To Live

She stood there on the sidewalk, her looking her normal, usual self. Her long thick hair, which hadn’t been seen open by anyone she knew, was neatly towered into a round bun, secured with a hair stick. A tight fitting blazer adorned her slim figure, and she wore a professional skirt of the same shade. She wore fine-knetted stockings and polished black heels. Her eyes were carefully lined with a little lighter shade of mascara, and a rosy brown colour stained her perfectly sculpted lips. Her eyebrows were fierce, and lined well, not one smudge or flaw anywhere.

She looked just plain perfect.

But she was Evangeline Jordan, of course. She had to be perfect. Her work had to be perfect. Everything associated with that branded name of hers had to be perfect. She was, of course, the CEO of one of the biggest business companies in the USA.

Evangeline couldn’t believe that this was happening to her. Her new driver had lost his way, and there was no one to help her in the office, so she had to go to the streets of NYC to catch a cab. On her own. For Evangeline Jordan, that was a new challenge. Never had she caught a cab from the filthy city streets on her own.  And because she had nothing else to aid her, that was what she had to do.

For the rest of the whole world, Evangeline was the meanest woman on the planet. Everything she did had to be excellent, and she was the worst boss they could find. But even though she was like a brutal hunter, every employee wanted to be her. She did her job better than anyone else, and she had worked hard to achieve that.

Too hard actually. 

Evangeline never got the chance to be a child. She was the eldest sister out of three, and had to see quite a huge share of misfortunes and adversities. Her father died when she was four, and her mother raised them, working as a receptionist at a hotel. Since she was young, Evangeline had learnt that the only way to win in life was to struggle hard. She excelled in every endeavour she undertook, and had struggled more than anyone in the whole family. She deserved the post she was on.

That particular night, most of the cabs that came by were occupied, and the ones that weren’t didn’t stop for her. The rest of the sidewalk was deserted, and it was getting chillier. She pulled her blazer tighter, but still stood determinedly, her eyes scanning the road for more cabs like it was a frog, and she was going to dissect it.

When no cab came, she decided to walk further to the next crossing and wait there. Her shoes made a tick-tock sound as she walked. There was no one else she could see, and she just kept walking on. How hard could catching a cab be, she thought. She kept walking, till she reached a light pole, and stopped for rest. Her legs were aching now. She blamed the heels, but stood straight, not wanting to look shabby and disgusting by taking her shoes off or something.

A few seconds later, she heard a sound. She heard the dragging footsteps of a man somewhere behind. 

Something tickled her in the back of her spine, and she forced her head to look back. Somewhere from the dark shadows, emerged a lad, almost her age, she thought. He had tousled black hair, and had his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans. His white flimsy shirt was thin, and a chill ran down her spine. She then noticed that she was staring at him, and forced her gaze back to the road. No cab had passed by. The man’s steps echoed behind her.

She waited, till he was just two feet away. Something about him seemed to bother her a lot. She kept looking forward, till the footsteps were crystal clear and she felt a cold hand grasp her own.

She turned to see who it was, and suddenly she felt something in her hand. A quick set of fingers swiftly removed the hair stick from her head, and before she could speak, in a flash of seconds, the supposedly accused stranger who did it to her was gone.

She stood there transfixed for a moment, baffled and disoriented. She tried to recall what had happened , but no face came to her head. Her pinned and proper bun had now fallen loose on her shoulders.Her attention finally went to the ‘thing’ that someone had popped into her hand. She was surprised to see that it was nothing but a crumpled piece of paper. She unfolded it, and what was written on it took her by surprise. She nearly stumbled.

‘Learn to Live’

Those three words were basically nothing, but strangely, that cold evening, Evangeline understood exactly what it meant. She chuckled to herself, in spite of all the confusion, the first time in years, and popped it into her pocket. She looked around to see who it was, but could see no one around.

That ride home, Evangeline Jordan had something to think about. Her struggles had brought her up to the position she was on. All her life, she lived to strive and achieve. That was her only goal. And she thought, that she always did have a choice of living for herself. Maybe it was time to step up and learn to live. 

Live for herself. 

Author's Note

just a one shot. yes, another wandering thought. bleh :P lol
It's not a story, basically. And in the end I'm just talking about a thought crossing Evangeline's head.
Tell me how it is please!!!!!! :D

Reviews

[patti]

that is very inspiring chapter, sometines as simple as three words can make you think about your life. the description was very good I had very good imagine of Evangeline, i like to believe that everything happens for a reason, like with that stranger. A very good story, it makes you think and question essense of life. Even though is fiction but i would like to believe that similar story can happen to anyone.

[Aehr]

i'd like to believe that too. :) thank you!

[Prabhat Mishra]

awesome expression of emotions!!..but is this sory true??

[Aehr]

no it isn't. it's my imagination. but it can happen with anyone

[PurpleQuartz]

Inspiring. That's one word that describes this story, besides excellently written.
I love a write with a good moral to it, I wasn't disappointed.

[Aehr]

i'm glad to hear that, Quartz. thank you :D

[critic h]

a very detailed piece of art. Fantastically written with excellent use of words and a inspiring message. but better half of the story is missing. only one piece of paper is not literaly sufficient to change someones life. she should have gone home remembering her hardship uneventful life incidents and then she could decided. its appears as if someones fav actor told her to live and she agreed. and some incidents of her life would have added a show.

[Aehr]

oh your review made me ponder over the thought! I shall edit it a bit now :) thank you for being honest. I really appreciate it :D

[Rhianne Ney]

This is a good one. ANd pretty inspirational. I symphatize with Rhea who can't make a mistake so she won't be able to detroy her reputation. still I like you're ending with the 'Learn to Live"
Great one!

[Aehr]

thank you!

[Rhianne Ney]

You're welcome