Choose your character change your life.

The ballroom is bustling full of life. The commotion is joyful as everyone parades and shows off their costumes. Laughter and violins fill the air. Everyone looks so mysterious yet also so confident and bold in the identity they have chosen. Fairies, Princesses, Knights, Rabbits, colourful birds and some without being something in specific just has an elaborate mask in colourful clothes. From the corner of the room the servants see it all. If they put down our trays of champagne we could blend in too as well. 

The servants wear suits with maroon ties and silvers masks with feathers on. Not as flashy, but all in uniform. 

“Do you see that man in the corner?” Dominique whispers to Sofia. 

“The man with the red tie?”

“Yup, that is the one… analyse him and tell me what you think.” Dominique sounds excited. 

“The older man in the red tie is a… board director… and he is talking to a younger man who keeps nodding. This younger man is probably the new intern or rookie. Most likely the newbie is highly qualified and a straight A-student, but always had to do all the work. The company saw this people-pleasing genius and decided if he is going to work hard and do all the work he can just as well do it for them and make them richer.” This is Sofia’s deduction from body language and mannerisms. 

That is not all the older man is none the wiser. A young beautiful blonde approaches him touches him lightly on the elbow says something and he nods. She walks away with a mysterious smile. 

“Oh poor old boy… you think you are winning at life… Have a lovely young blonde at your side. Probably she is the second or third wife or maybe the mistress. He thinks he has her tied around his finger and mean while she thinks the same… everyone is playing everyone.” Dominique adds to Sofia’s analysis…

Sofia nods in approval, “The intern will also play the same game. He just does not know it yet. He nods and nods while kissing up to everyone. Now at the moment he is shy and uncertain just so grateful that he could the honour of working for this big successful company. In two or three years, maybe more maybe less the facade will melt away and he will realise he is worth more. Our poor intern will move to another company after having many therapy sessions express his worth and get a higher possession. A year later he will entice management why he should get the raise. He will, because then he will be so tired of kissing up.” She shrugs at the end that is how it usually goes. Everyone is replaceable even that older man in the red tie. 

“In this moment the older man is so impressed that he gets a talented newbie to work for less than he is worth, but knows deep down that they all leave eventually for some odd reason and they want to ‘broaden their horizons’, but that is okay they are all replaceable and after they have gone a fresh new batch of eager and naïve interns will fall into the trap… hopefully.” Sofia looks at Dominique in his identical mask with his chestnut hair curling in every direction. His giddy smile of gossip is gone and an almost sad look crosses his face. The look of realization… 

“We are all so stupid…” Dominique shakes his head.

“Why do you say so?” Sofia sounds concerned and leans a bit forward to hear and see more of this sudden change in emotion. 

“Well… most of these people are rich and powerful. They think they are something special, but really they are all just humans. All just characters someone pretending to be something.”

“You don’t really make any sense. Did you drink some of the guest’s champagne?”

“No, I did not I am perfectly sober. We are all just characters. Everyone is the main character in their own story, but that is just it they are a character. Then there is the supporting characters that play along-side these main characters, but to themselves they are also, well, the main character…” Dominique says in a daze.

“And then you get us… the background characters who serve champagne to the rich, powerful and famous.” She changes her weight and leans on her hip not looking impressed with the tray of champagne. 

“We are more than that dear Sofia.”

“Oh, are we now wise Dominique?”

“Yes, we are characters as well none the less, because we are human too. We are as much human as they are so we are characters too. We are all characters, because we all have roles to play serving champagne or entertaining guests or closing business deals.” 

“We are just here to serve champagne Dominique. We analysed and criticized the guests in all good fun you don’t have to search for a deep philosophical meaning.” 

“Have you ever read Star Beast?”

“What?” Sofia is clearly confused.

“You know that short story we read in the tenth grade about how a beast falls from the stars and then people put him in a cage. The people who put him in a cage start making assumptions and labelling this beast then later he believes it and becomes it. We are no different from, because assumptions are made and labels are placed.” 

“What does assumptions and labelling have to do with main characters?” Sofia asks far from impressed. 

“Well we only are what we believe we are. We do what everyone else is doing, because we do not know what we are doing, but neither do they know what they are doing. We take on a role we think we are meant to play. We put on a mask of a character who we think we are. In the end we are all just characters playing a game of life. Every character has a role no matter how small and that role is crucial to any story line. For example if we were not here to serve champagne who would do it? The people would have to do it themselves, which of course takes away the glamour and power of that character OR…”

“Or what?” Sofia is squinting through her mask. 

“Or no one would get drunk and feel brave enough to make the first move which then ends up to a relationship of some sort. There would most likely not be any business deals and the economy would crash. There would be no gossip or scandal or drunk accidents that would be published in the magazines. Without champagne would this event still have the same energy and ambiance?” Dominque’s voice has quickened with excitement and now sounded like Shakespeare in a way. 

“No it would technically be quite boring.”

“Exactly, if there is no characters to handle the prop,” Dominique lifts the tray of champagne, “Or if there was not prop the story line would not move forward. Have you ever heard of the magic flute without the flute?”

“Conclusion, we are all just characters playing parts that we take on because we feel we fit the part?” 

“So glad you understand.” He sounds impressed with himself after giving is lecture and now his student understands. 

“So we are all just pretending around until the play ends?”

“Acting is not pretending. We are far from pretending. Do we pretend everything we do? No otherwise our lives would be full of lies. We act on our emotions and we act according to our circumstances. We act according to our character…. We all have characteristics…”

“Okay, okay we are not pretending we are living our characters, but why are you telling me all of this?” 

“You are playing the wrong role, Sofia. You don’t belong here you belong there.” He gestures to the crowd that they are serving in all their lavish costumes. 

“Yeah, yeah, but serving champagne is important remember?”

“You dare use my own spells against me?!” 

“The student has become the master!” she shines as she says this totally playing along sounding like a superhero making their entrance. 

“Don’t you want to know the truth?”

“No, the truth hurts. What truth are you talking about anyway?”

“The fact that you are more powerful than you think you are and very smart,” he puts down all five glasses of champagne on the table than have been on the tray. He takes on glass of champagne in one hand the tray on the other hand. “You have thought that there was no choice you just choose the tray, but you too can have a glass of champagne in your hand mingling with high society. So what do you choose? Serving champagne or drinking champagne?” He lifts the one options then the other. 

“Dominique, you are a great friend and you would be a brilliant motivational speaker, but it’s not that easy. If everyone could and did follow their dreams the whole world would fall into chaos. There would be three times more restaurants and hotels than necessary. There would be too many actors, singers, writers and dancers in the world. No one would drive the bus and no one would come fix your leaking sink, because they are following their drams breeding alpacas in South America!” 

 “Do you know why talented people never get to where they deserve to be?”

“Why?” Sofia is clearly upset this has become more emotional than just a fun game. 

“They don’t think enough of themselves. When you put a precious diamond among glitter it won’t be appreciated. Put yourself where you need to be – where people will appreciate your value. You weren’t born to serve champagne. God put you on this earth to become a profiler and you know it. Do you want to be like that intern newbie? You see his future so clearly why can’t you see your own?” 

“Do I look like Barbie?! I can’t just be whatever I want to be life does not work like that.” Her tone has come down to a whisper and her eyes full of pain.

“No, you are just keeping yourself from your dreams because you are scared.”

She takes in a sharp breath. “Well, why don’t you follow your dreams? Why are you serving champagne?” 

“Because, it is my dream to help people realize theirs. I am living my dream… I council at schools the way I wished someone had counselled me. I went to college and studied what I wanted to. The only reason I am doing this is to save for my masters. Sofia, you don’t have to be a strong woman for everyone and always sacrifice. You don’t have to say yes to everything. You don’t have to be scared to go after the things you want in life…”

The music still played on and the guests’ sill laughed, but to Sofia the world has still for a moment. It was quiet. All the costumes in the splendour of the knight swayed back and forth with dancing, but it wasn’t a jumble of colours it was clear.

Sofia looks at Dominique with a bit of a pout and he looks at her with soft eyes. They stared at each other for a moment and a guest took a glass form her tray, but she did not notice. 

“Let’s finish here. Do another round and take out champagne, but tomorrow I will go and fill out my application.” 

“Now that is a good idea.” Dominique sights and his shoulders relax a little. She gets it now that good. She has to play the role her character was meant to play.