Confide In Me

"It's hard. My life is hard. I'm in a difficult place right now...", she said, staring into her drink.

"It gets better. As you get older, the way becomes clearer", I said rather too calmly.

"I was in your place too once. Things are confusing, you don't feel so confident and you don't know your place in the world."

"But it gets better", I said after a pause.

"Really...?"

...That's a good question actually. Does it? I know that it's hard to be sure. We've all seen friends fall by the wayside. I nearly fell myself. The truth is, no one really knows. One can only hope. I know that, she knows that, we all know that.

"Yes really. But it all depends on you", I said as a manner of insurance.

"You're a bright person and time is on your side. You can make a lot of difference. The opportunity will come. You need to see when it does."

That's kind of ambiguous and cliched, I know. I also know that this is true. Good and bad things, they all come and go in their own time.

"I promise I'll do whatever I can to encourage you and to help you."

"Thank you. That means a lot."

She smiled.