Romeo and Juliet

by Mileva Anastasiadou

 

In the beginning we were Romeo and Juliet.

Our story wasn’t like theirs at all, yet we thought so. We were the cursed lovers, without the curse. Their romance belonged to us. Once we saw the film, we jumped into the screen and forgot to jump out once the film ended.

We remained Romeo and Juliet for long.

Until reality stormed in: bills, mortgage, debt. That’s when we started falling apart. We thought we shared a bond stronger than death. Yet reality proved us wrong. A bond is tested through adversities; only then do deficits become unveiled.

We were Romeo and Juliet.

Until the film spit us out months later. The house we shared transformed into a minefield. We were careful not to walk on the mines. Words stormed out of his mouth, like raindrops falling from a stormy sky, after the first explosion. We both forgot about it, yet the explosions happened one after another.

“Leave now,” he said.

I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. He was the one who should leave.

“You’ll leave.”

Tonight, several explosions later, he finally left.

I begged myself to remain calm, yet I couldn’t help it; as soon as he turned around to leave, I turned into a predator chasing after the prey.

We were Romeo and Juliet.

We now live among ruins, in a dystopian film about a world lost, in which the protagonists kill each other in turns.

Compared to us, Romeo and Juliet had a happy ending.