Page 16 of Unconventionally, Elle
Twelve years ago
O?f all the places Sarah and I traveled to that semester, London became my favorite memory.
We were in a queue for a popular Indian restaurant in Shoreditch, but after waiting in line for more than two hours, we decided to try our luck elsewhere.
We swiped our Oyster cards and got on a tube to Piccadilly Circus.
"Please mind the gap," the operator echoed as we disembarked.
It was chilly, and even though Sarah and I had on matching tan overcoats, the brisk wind gave me a shiver. Sarah had adventure in her eyes as she grabbed my hand and jogged up the stairs with me in tow.
It was a clear, cold night once we exited the tube station. We couldn't see the stars because of all the light, but the city was alive. We were alive. It felt like Times Square except better--it was British.
An advertisement popped on a screen in the area. Wicked was playing at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.
"Oh my God, I've always wanted to see that on Broadway!" Sarah squeezed my arm and pointed to the advertisement.
"You know, I read that you can get discount tickets for shows. There's like a booth or something." I looked around to see if I could find the mysterious booth.
"Seriously? That's perfect, because judging by that sign, we may be a little short on cash for the regular price." She laughed. I glanced up and noticed the price the next time the advertisement flashed by. We couldn't afford seventy-five pounds per ticket.
After talking to a handful of passersby, we found out that the booth we were looking for was in Leicester Square.
Once we had our tickets, we rushed to the Apollo Victoria Theatre for the beginning of the show.
With fifteen minutes left to spare, we stood outside the theater for a moment to take in the night.
Sarah grabbed my hand and held it firmly in hers.
Then she placed her head on my shoulder.
"Isn't this incredible, Elle? Can you believe we are in London together and get to do this?"
I leaned my head against hers. "I mean, I should believe it. We are here. But yeah, it's unreal. I wish Rach was here with us."
"Me too." Sarah pulled out her digital camera from her tan overcoat and told me to get into the frame.
She held the camera up in front of our faces and blindly snapped the picture.
"There, now we can show her and always be able to look back on this with a smile.
" She grinned at me and put the camera back into her pocket.
We made it to our seats just in time for the play to begin.