She left the cafe, and as she walked along the Common she felt the distance widen between her and another self, no less real, who was walking back toward the hospital. Perhaps the Briony who was walking in the direction of Balham was the imagined or ghostly persona. This unreal feeling was heightened when, after half an hour, she reached another High Street, more or less the same as the one she had left behind. That was all London was beyond its center, an agglomeration of dull little towns. She made a resolution never to live in any of them.
As she departed the café, Briony experienced a profound sense of separation from her alternate self, who was moving toward the hospital. This feeling of disconnection intensified as she strolled through similar streets, reflecting on her identity and choices. The further she walked away from the familiar, the more she questioned which version of herself was real, trapped between the past and her envisioned future.
Upon arriving at yet another ordinary High Street resembling her previous surroundings, she contemplated the nature of London beyond its core. It struck her that the outskirts were simply a series of monotonous towns, leading her to vow never to reside in such unremarkable places. This journey became a moment of self-reflection, highlighting her desire for a more vibrant life.
