Ever watched that Gwyneth Paltrow movie Sliding Doors? It’s about ‘what ifs’ in life. You know, what would have happened if you had missed that train and got another? How a supposedly simple thing can alter the whole course of your world.
Had one last year. Regular hairdresser charged with sorting out the bleached mess on my head was sick so a lovely girl called Julia stepped up to the challenge.
We talked about holidays, COVID-19, the rubbish on telly, shoes, wine, and men. As you do in the comforting dullness of everyday life. Julia was about to go and see her mum and dad as the pandemic had kept them apart. And she was so happy. Again so far, so normal.
With one huge difference. Julia’s name was spelled Yulia and her mum and dad lived in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Her birthplace and a country she was fiercely proud of.
Fast forward a year and I have no idea if this ordinary yet extraordinary young woman is still even alive. We messaged one another last month and I know she moved back to Ukraine permanently. Since then, no response from her mobile.
And this is the real face of what’s going on in the mad mess of the Russia/Ukraine conflict. It’s not the endless lists of military hardware, the horrors of bloodsoaked soldiers, and political games. It’s about real people. People like you and me. Women who had lives just like ours.
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