AROLLO Stories – ALENA Episode 2/10 Here the Link to AROLLO Stories – ALENA Episode 1/10
2
ALENA
I already see myself crashing on the floor of the courtyard, but I manage to turn my foot on the ten-centimeter long ledge, which surrounds the rooftop terrace, while the other foot swings freely. All of a sudden, I’m standing backwards, gaining my balance back on the railing.
“Hey!“, shouts the old man, who I have in my back now, and sounds a lot more worried then before. Even I start worrying about my life because of my soon-to-happen death.
Nevertheless I start thinking about how to save myself gracefully, from the outside of the rooftop terrace to the inside. I sucked in sports. Just like in everything which includes body movement. I have to think about the Judo class, which my sons dragged me to last year. The judo master called my attempts to break my falls, not only once, “pig-roll”. It was the running gag in the class. But since then I know: I can do pig-rolls. Pig-rolls are my specialty.
And that’s exactly what I’m doing now.
I manage to get back inside and the old guy laughs lustily. Of course. My – I have to admit – not completely thought through actions here turn into a joke. I try to get back on my feet and smoothen out the wrinkles of my skirt. The dirt on it reminds me that my terrace needs to be cleaned urgently. Maybe that would be another option for me? Option five: I scrub myself to death?
I wave to the old guy, I feel embarrassed about it and go back inside. Just now I realize how cold I am. I close the big, heavy sliding door of the living room, which can be opened completely if needed. On hot summer days, half of the penthouse turns into a pool deck. During summer, the pool is also filled with water, because of which the foundations of the house needed some extra strengthening. Sometimes my friends come over, but…
I barely have any friends left. I came to that realization, particularly since Robin and Mark are in boarding school. The friends from back in the day, school- and study-colleagues, went green with envy, ever since they saw the life Frank and I could afford in our late twenties already. The friends from later in life, mainly moms with children the same age as ours, were nice to me for some time, until they found out what Frank is doing and how much money we spend on the good things in life. Surely it didn’t help that he picked up the boys from time-to-time using sports cars, which changed colors like Elton John changed his stage-outfit. They went green with envy too.
I hate Frank’s money. Money makes you lonely.
Or do I just have the wrong friends? Do I really belong in the circles which Frank’s manager position opened for us? I already know the answer. I can’t handle all this in-crowd. Neither Frank nor I were born rich. We had to work hard for everything we have. Most of his colleagues obviously didn’t. Whenever I accompany him to social events, I feel like I don’t fit in. Afterwards, we laugh about the quirks of his colleagues and business partners or their dates, whose lives are all about seeing and being seen.
There are only a few moments when I feel connected to Frank like back in the day. Before we had children. Before our life took a wrong turn.
I want to get myself a glass of red wine to calm myself down, when I suddenly freeze.
Fire truck sirens in front of the house.
AROLLO Stories – ALENA Episode 3 will be released next Thursday, October 10th at 8 pm