Between here and there

She was reading her book when the voice of a man said; “Can I sit with you?”; she looked up at him and then before saying anything she looked around at all the tables; they were busy, she said: “Please, sit…”

“Thank you, the airport is busy today!” He said, “I’m Sam,” He gave her his hand, she shook his and said: “I’m Lili, nice to meet you;” “The pleasure is mine, Miss. Lili”; “Just Lili, please…”

She looked back to her book, took a sip of her coffee, then she noticed he wasn’t having coffee but a glass of white wine; “Can I ask you something?” she asked

“Sure,” Sam looked at her; “Isn’t it early for drinking?” she asked; Sam smiled at her, “No, it is 4 pm… Don’t you drink?”

“No, I don’t!” She answered. He looked at her for a while, “Wow, why?”; “Why I don’t drink; because I don’t see any benefit of it or need…”, “You think that everything we drink is from a need or a benefit??”, “Yes, either you have a benefit from it maybe for your health and mind, or a need to wake up maybe or like summer days need some iced fresh drinks, but sometimes what we addicted is what we want most and any drink can be addictive…”

He was intrigued, “So, you say everyone drinks alcohol needs it, or maybe addicted to it?!”, “Not all are addicted but all need it, like the cigarette you hold, but yet, you didn’t light it up; you want to quit smoking but still you feel the need for it…”

“Are you a mind reader or a therapist or something?” He asked, ” Not at all it’s just what I saw.”, ” So, you judge!”, ” No, I never judge anyone and of course not judging drinking but it’s my opinion, it’s not useful nor has any benefits. “; “I think we will be friends…” he smiled, she smiled too and said “Maybe, who knows? We live here and what you said now is still there…”

“What?” He wondered, ” Look at the people around you, we all live in this moment with different memories that will be made out of it, we are all at the same place and time, yet, we live it differently; some and those might be so few that will enjoy the now, this moment they live, but others are two parts, one thinks of the future and worrying about it,  the 2nd thinks of the past and how was better than now… both wasting the moment, the present by doing that”

“But sometimes remembering the past and thinking of the future is not bad or wasting time!” He said, “Yes, sometimes, but this is when you remember a lesson or a memory or laughing with family over dinner and remembering your childhood memories and thinking of the future when you dream about it and planning it, but not when you start comparing past with the present and say, that year was better, or worrying of the future you can’t control yet or know!”

He kept looking at her while she continued, ” Between then and there we lose here, we waste the moment and the memories we can make out of it, remember how many times you thought about the next meeting or next contract you will sign and you didn’t even celebrate what you achieved already… remember how many times you go out with someone you like and start worrying about the future and if she will ask you to be committed! All that is like a curse of humans,  we love to waste here, waste what we can control and enjoy with things out of our hands…”

“Like, for example,  can you look at your glass?” She asked him pointing at his glass, he looked and found it empty already, ” it’s empty!” He said, “Yes, it is, but did you notice? Did you enjoy it? What if you got another glass and treated it as the last glass of your whole life, how would you sip it, and will you enjoy it more?” She asked, he got up and went to get another glass, then back again, he put the glass on the table, looked at it for a while then at Lili, she was smiling and waiting for him to take a sip…

He took a sip, slowly, like someone trying wine for the first time,  smelling it, tasting it, and then drinking: ” we take everything in our lives for granted,  our daily routines,  our health, even our work and loved ones, and even our dreams, that’s why we stopped enjoying anything in life, we stopped being excited or anticipating anything with excitement because we just waste the moment, how did you feel when you took this sip? She asked.

He took a deep breath and said, “You’re right, I enjoyed it more, it’s weird how we lose all those little moments while running backward or forward!”, ” And running both ways won’t get the past back nor the future you worry about faster!” She said

They heard the announcement of their flight, and at the same time, said “That’s my flight…” They looked at each other, and Lili laughed,  “Let’s go and see what will happen while we live here, in the moment.” He looked at her with one thought inside his mind, “Let her be here with me a bit longer…”