Tea Time

Five elderly women have religiously gathered for tea once a month, for the past sixty years. In these meetings, these friends argue and befriend again, they evoke a common past and try hard to show that they are still strong, forgetting for a moment their illnesses. Gathered around the table, they spend their time interpreting current affairs and fashion, despite not understanding some trends, they comment on them with absolute authority, trying to explain these to one another. When there are discrepancies, it is the personal stories that come out and highlight the differences of opinion. In spite of having a similar education in a religious school, they had to live through a period of radical historical change that made them constantly question their beliefs and has created polarized visions within the group: some had access to higher education, others opted for being homemakers; some used contraceptives, others became widowed; some separated due to their husbands’ infidelities, others decided to keep appearances. Therefore, despite having very different life stories and personalities, which generate constant quarrels among them, in the long run they manage to understand, complement and accompany each other. They have suffered mild losses and their individual shortfalls are somehow fulfilled by the relationships with these friends. They have managed to put together a lifestyle that completely ignores their ailments. The afternoons pass, days, months and even years gathered around the table, and it seems that nothing in their lives changes, until the death of one of them makes them go through a period of evident transformation.