My Never Ending List

I saw myself in Ada, her drive and her frustration, her determination and her dedication to the people in her life. Ada had a wall to contend to in her life, a physical wall, something she herself could not breakdown alone. Living in West Berlin, Ada lived on the free side. If only people didn’t know life existed outside the wall, they would think they had it all but this wasn’t the case. Ada’s grandmother best friend lived on the other side of this wall with her grandson Stefan, Ada true love for the past 3 years. Tight security kept their visits to a minimum but Ada treasured them. Just thinking about not having direct access to my own boyfriend when I was 15 and that a wall, was the issue, had me thinking of creative ways to solve this problem. Creative enough that I am reaching back to the Acme kits from Bugs Bunny and his gigantic kite kit, the bed-spring shoes, his giant rubber band, the pogo stick and of course the invisible paint. These all might work, if they were real. Of course, Ada and Stefan have to be sensible so they try to wave to each other once in a while but their four yearly visit are what they look forward to. When Ada visits, her main concern is talking to Stefan about his escape over to the West side. You can feel the tension and the anxiety in her as she tries to lay out the plans for Stefan but his mind is elsewhere. I am at awe at this difference of opinion as Stefan just wants to bask in their relationship. Sure, he would love to be with her on the West side of the wall but he knows that he has today and “happy is right now.” Stefan doesn’t say much but it’s his attitude and personality that had me wondering what he was really thinking. He’s patient and I can tell he cares a lot about Ada as she is hammering him about leaving the East side and all he wants to do is spend time with her not plan, not scheme, just relax and be with her. Ada is looking for her future with Stefan and her happily ever after and he is looking at the present, the here and now. As Ada takes her paint cans and draws on her side of the wall, she is drawing a mural for Stefan, a mural she hopes he will see. It’s this wall that affects so many people in Ada’s life, her friends, her family and the people she comes into contact with. The wall that divides.