I’ve already lost count of how many times I had to go to some boring grown-up meetings because my parents wouldn’t let me alone at home, not even at the age of 17 or so. I used to believe that, if it wasn’t for college, I’d never have the opportunity of living alone, and although that was partly true, as I did spend two weeks (yeah, you read it right) at my little freshman flat, because of the pandemic I had to come back to my hometown. It’s been almost a year now. Anyway, that’s not the point for this story in particular; going back to the boring meeting I had to attend to in my childhood, once there was this weird kind of dinner party, crowded with men in tuxedos and women in elegant dresses while I had a T-shirt and jean shorts on. I still don’t know what were we supposed to be celebrating then, but at a certain moment, music started to play and a bunch of couples went to the center of the lounge and began dancing. They were all joyfully swinging their partners around, apart from the chaotic noise of the rest of the party, but among them there was this girl, a young, beautiful lady who was dancing alone so lively and immersed in the songs she didn’t even notice that I watched her from a distance for a pretty long time. I want to be like that girl someday. Independent, carefree, not caring that everyone but me has someone to dance with, because I can and I will have fun on my own.