She is a young woman, in her twenties, with a busy life
style. The way she walks says a lot about her life. She walks fast as if she is
always in a hurry. She usually looks at one direction, the one she is heading
to and rarely pays attention to what goes on around her. She is engaged to a
young man, who often meets her after work at a cafe’, just a walking distance
from her workplace.
On that day, she leaves work and heads to the nearby cafe’ to meet her fiancé’. And as usual she walks fast and rarely looks around, but this time, she hears a bang that forces her to take a look at the other side of the street. Two cars just collided and their drivers leave the cars and start shouting and blaming each other. It takes her few seconds to turn her face back to her side of the street. While swiftly turning her face, she notices a face of a man she knows very well. He stops for few seconds, just like her, to look at the accident and then he walks down to a news stance. Her eyes follow him and she freezes her movement. His face incites memories that bring her current world to a standstill. He is the man she discovered a new world with. Their emotional and mental attachment changed her perception of people and things. Their relationship didn’t survive for long. It was brief, but etched in her mind.
She starts calling his name, but the level of noise in the street goes up. She shouts, but he doesn’t hear or see her. Another man, standing close to the news stance, notices her and starts a cross-the-road conversation. Using signs, she tries to explain that she doesn’t want to talk to him, but to the other man next to him. He pretends he doesn’t understand and starts proposing himself. With silly facial expressions he tries to convince her to consider him instead. She ignores him and tries to cross the street, but the traffic flow doesn’t stop and the noise level goes up. Again, she shouts calling his name, but he doesn’t hear or see her.
She observes him sorting magazines, paying the newsman and walking away, but she doesn’t try again to cross the street. She walks on her side and keeps watching him walking on the other side. She walks fast as she watches him walking faster. She starts running as she watches him running faster. Suddenly, a man, her fiancé, who sees her running, passing the cafe’, runs after her. He calls her name and runs faster to catch her. Finally, he manages to stop her. He holds her hand and softly walks her back to the cafe’. Her eyes follow the other man who quickly disappears in the crowd.
On that day, she leaves work and heads to the nearby cafe’ to meet her fiancé’. And as usual she walks fast and rarely looks around, but this time, she hears a bang that forces her to take a look at the other side of the street. Two cars just collided and their drivers leave the cars and start shouting and blaming each other. It takes her few seconds to turn her face back to her side of the street. While swiftly turning her face, she notices a face of a man she knows very well. He stops for few seconds, just like her, to look at the accident and then he walks down to a news stance. Her eyes follow him and she freezes her movement. His face incites memories that bring her current world to a standstill. He is the man she discovered a new world with. Their emotional and mental attachment changed her perception of people and things. Their relationship didn’t survive for long. It was brief, but etched in her mind.
She starts calling his name, but the level of noise in the street goes up. She shouts, but he doesn’t hear or see her. Another man, standing close to the news stance, notices her and starts a cross-the-road conversation. Using signs, she tries to explain that she doesn’t want to talk to him, but to the other man next to him. He pretends he doesn’t understand and starts proposing himself. With silly facial expressions he tries to convince her to consider him instead. She ignores him and tries to cross the street, but the traffic flow doesn’t stop and the noise level goes up. Again, she shouts calling his name, but he doesn’t hear or see her.
She observes him sorting magazines, paying the newsman and walking away, but she doesn’t try again to cross the street. She walks on her side and keeps watching him walking on the other side. She walks fast as she watches him walking faster. She starts running as she watches him running faster. Suddenly, a man, her fiancé, who sees her running, passing the cafe’, runs after her. He calls her name and runs faster to catch her. Finally, he manages to stop her. He holds her hand and softly walks her back to the cafe’. Her eyes follow the other man who quickly disappears in the crowd.
She doesn’t try again to cross the street.
Yomna Kamel
Paris
Summer 2006
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