You all looked reticent, somehow remote, silently perturbed, as if part in you had been muted by an invisible giant being. One or two of you raised scattered funny topics and some of you delivered coordinated simpers; but I could tell a nuance that even simpers vanished untraceably in a second.

 

I couldn't stop thinking of us.

 

Remember when we were young and conceited, and presumputous and after all, young. Remember when we freshly graduated from renowned law schools and prepared possibly part of our lives into lawyering thing. 

 

Remember when we worked off our asses for it. When we successfully turned ourselves into ingrates to our families and friends - unfriendly, not available, quiet, and probably only talkative when we were on a conference call. Remember when we were reluctant to look into the mirror but when we were still looking for "something out of there." And remember the bummer when there was the figurative massacre aournd the corner, and when we were fretful to grab parachutes to jump off. 

 

So if I put it this way - "what was once before you, an exciting, mysterious future, is now behind you, lived, understood, disappointing. You realized you're not special. You have struggled into your existence and now being silently slipping out of it. This is everyone's experience. Every single one. The specifics hardly matter." - Will you agree?

 

But I swear I will never say that to you.

 

After finishing the meal, we stared at one another, trying to find another interesting topic; but finally got stuck in unspeakable vanity of being capable of finding one. However, we were all reluctant to leave. 

 

But you know, everyone is everyone. So it seems not a big deal.