Ｏｎｃｅ　ｕｐｏｎ　ａ　ｔｉｍｅ

Once upon a time there was a man in his middle age who felt uncomfortable about life and particulary about his professional situation. He watched out and found a good job as manager. He felt verry happy butthought he would need a break between the two jobs. When the break came closer he thought he had to do so many things he never had found time for before that the first month went over within a breath. For the second month he felt he had to start away, just not stay at home. He felt this time as a kind of last freedom before settling down. As he hadn’t enjoyed so much the time as student he kept back a feeling that he should make up for that lost period now. Within his dreams was to meet a young woman of that age who would give him for some moments his youth back - and so they could share youth and experience. So he started and the 4th day already he met a Taiwanese women. He took all his courage and asked her to come with him for dinner. She accepted and they had a wonderful evening. But then the young woman started away although he would so much have stayed with her some days - and even nights. When they mailed after that he was so happy to have met her and that she had allowed him to live his dream. For him all that was beyond any price. She started to wonder about his proposals and didn’t quite understand what he really wanted. But he couldn’t right answer that. He just tried to think ideas that they could meet for more than a dinner and that both parties would have their interest and win in the situation. Not to bless her, not to break her heart, not to tke her anything away against her will, give her the possibility to have her profit and to explain that for him the price of that dream was out of money - that was his occupation. So he wrote her that little story and hoped she would understand.




Once upon a time there was a twenty something girl who was far far away from home from her country where she had lived for 22 years. It had been less than one month that she had decided to quit her job in the shipping company and started a whole new life abroad. Maybe learning French was an excuse for escaping from the daily business, from the rapid pace city where people rush in and out with their suitcase on one hand, and starbuscks take-away-cup the other, newspaper underarm. As taking the sardine packed metro, she was confused where these people were heading to, and wonder if they were conscious that where they were getting off probably was totally opposite to the destination in their ideal life. She felt pitiful for these passengers, but couldn’t deny herself being part of them. She promised herself during one year in france to figure out her next step either continue in master or in professional career. In the small tranquil village, she slowed down her paces, met people from the world, traveled around and enjoyed her life, in a cup of café, in a bite of pain au chocolat, in the deep breath she took, even in getting lost in the town. However, time fled. Relieved of her final exam, however she became more anxious about her next step. Staying in the house wouldn’t release the anxiety or chaos out of mind. So she decided to take a trip, alone! She knew traveling alone probably would be more lonely and helpless but she knew have to incredibly firmly than she had ever felt before. On her 3rd day, she encountered a guy when she was about to enter her room. Hearing his steps from ceiling, a thought flashed through her mind-- maybe she should invite the guy to share the bottle of wine and a baguette that she just bought. Out of cowardice, she did not dare. Wait!! someone was knocking on her door. It was him! He invited her for diner at the centre ville. Why not?! They had a great night. Both of them were surprised that, even from hyper different culture backgrounds, the man from mars and the girl from the moon clicked immediately. The story was meant to be close. She left at dawn the next day toward the opposite direction of his destination. She was glad they still kept in touch after that encounter. But she was also confused at the same time with his kindness and generosity. As a friend, he had done too much in this situation she was not sure about his intention and motivation after being informed he had a girlfirend. she was afraid of getting in the ambiguous relation. Obiously, she was not a business type woman, she would never regard a relation as a game or evaluate it by value, price, profit….. in fact, she believed that the double win situation never exist in the sincere relation. The guy had likely spent more than her age long time experiencing so many things in his whole life and hers was just about to start. She was not that confident, strong, open-minded, mature and intellectual as he had expected. She was an ordinary girl after all. So she wrote him the little story and hoped he would understand.