‘Could the situation be worse than that?’ I thought on a warm March afternoon.
I sat on the sofa, waiting for something to happen. Or rather, waiting for the day to end. I knew for a fact that nothing would happen that day either. At least, nothing positive. After all, the most exciting news that had come to my ears in the last period was about the transfer of my neighbors to Patagonia. As for really interesting news, not even one. My phone kept staying as silent as a fish, while my inbox mail only housed spam of dubious taste.
A few months earlier I had graduated with honor in International Cooperation on Human Rights and Intercultural Heritage. However, despite my willingness, I just couldn't find a job. I wanted to travel around the world and embark on a glittering international career, but by now I was beginning to fear that my aspirations would never turn into reality. Apparently, I didn't have the right qualifications for any open position: either I was too old or too young or had no experience.
At first, influenced by the optimism of life coach Mary Star, I had tried to maintain a positive attitude.
‘Life is a mirror: you only have to smile and life will smile back at you’, she wrote on her blog. So, full of enthusiasm, I had started to scour the internship offers at various NGOs and had spent hours writing catching motivational letters.
Confident that I had done my very best, I had sent about forty CVs abroad, deluding myself to receive answers in a short time.
Every morning, for weeks, I had woken up early, rushing to check my inbox mail. Unfortunately, however, I had not received any feedback. Then, the Christmas holidays had come and my enthusiasm had definitely evaporated. And so here I was, with spring just around the corner, wondering what would become of me.
My cell phone rang, distracting me from my gloomy reflections. Could it finally be a decisive communication for my future?
I grabbed my smartphone and frowned.
‘Whatever,’ I muttered, after reading the word ‘Snake’ on the display.
Snake was a former University colleague of mine. Her real name was Marisa, but everybody called her Snake. For a really good reason, believe me. She had a boundless ego, acted like she was superior to the rest of the world, and her only purpose in life was to compete with anyone who had the misfortune to get in her way.
She had targeted me since the first year of the master's degree. She hadn't digested the fact that I had earned a higher grade than her in an exam, so she had retaliated in her own way. She had spread absurd rumors about an unlikely fling between me and Professor Tappin, a boring man in his sixties. No one had believed her, except for the person who most of all should have sided with me. Well, yes, that unfounded rumor had ended up ruining my relationship with Firpo, the guy I'd been dating for fifteen months. I couldn't forgive him for questioning my loyalty, so we had broken up.
Two years had passed since then, but between me and Snake still did not flow good blood.
On another occasion I wouldn’t have bothered to answer her, but that day I was so bored that I decided to accept the call.
‘Who knows, maybe listening to her silly chatter will help me get out of the torpor I have been slipping in lately’ I thought.
‘Hey, Marisa. Why do I have the great honor of listening to your voice?’ I asked her sarcastically.
‘Oh, I just wanted to let you know they chose me. I'm sorry, but you're going to have other opportunities,’ she said triumphantly.
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Come on, Vu. You don't have to pretend. I know you applied for that internship in Vietnam, too. Unfortunately for you, they preferred me. I'm leaving in two weeks.’
I laughed. Probably, she had decided to run for that position just because she thought I was interested, too. ‘Good trip, then. Anyway, for the record, my name is not Vu. You can call me Vi.’
‘Vu. Vi. What difference do you want it to make? It is still a weird name.’
'It's not a name and you know that very well.’
‘Well, I forgot your name, since everyone calls you Vi.’
Well, if only you knew how everyone calls you …
‘It's a nickname that my parents gave me when I was little. One of my cousins is also named like me, and they needed to tell us apart,’ I explained. ‘Vi is the hypocoristic of ...’
‘I see. Then, the lack of originality is a family trait. Anyway, I couldn’t care less about your name. Let's go back to the topic. You're trying to change subject,’ she interrupted me.
‘Absolutely not. If you really want to know it, I didn't apply for that position at all. I thought about it, it's true, but the prospect of staying in Hanoi for a year wasn't so tempting for me. It is still an unpaid internship.’
‘Yes, yes, I'll pretend to believe you. This time I won. Try to cope with that, darling.’
‘Marisa, I'm telling you the truth.’
‘Of course, of course. You know, you also have to learn how to lose in life.’
‘For once, we agree on something. Now I really have to say goodbye. I have an important appointment, and you're wasting my precious time.’
That said, I interrupted the communication and smiled at myself. Snake had given me wonderful news. I could only wish her to marry a Vietnamese and move to Hanoi on a stable condition. In Ravenna no one would miss her, little but sure.
I absolutely had to celebrate the event, so I turned on the TV, and started watching a romantic movie.
