Thursday, July 24, 2014

Raphael (2)- a short story

See Raphael (1)

It's been a long time since he last set foot into this town. He never wandered around. He took a taxicab from the train station right to his family's house, and then the same thing happened when it was time to leave. He never spent more than 24 hours there. He usually came at night and left at dawn. He was trying to run away from her, deny her existence. But this time he had to spend more time with his mother. Perhaps She asked him to. Perhaps he was seeking Her while She may be found, calling upon Her while She is near. When the righteous cry for help, She always heard and delivered him out of his troubles. 


This time he had to leave in the evening. He laid a goodbye kiss with his bitter lips on his mother's wrinkled forehead, and off he went. Just as he was on his way to the train station, his eyes fell on her, standing alone at the threshold of the public library. The sight of her made him spit out the fears he once swallowed. He stopped the taxicab nearby her. He asked the driver to wait for a few minutes. He stood across the street almost paraplegic, with his eyes fixed on her hair, neck, eyes, and dimples. The sight of her almost blocked the coronary arteries, almost plugged the blood flow, almost starved his heart of oxygen. His heart rate became so slow that one would think he was having a myocardial infarction.

The moment she spotted him, she ran towards him as fast as she could, with a bit of hesitation at first. She looked him in the eye and slapped his poker-face as hard as she could. The next thing, she was hugging him. She could feel his right hand moving across the locks of her hair, and his left hand languidly moving up and down her spineless back. She cried silently as she hated it when he saw her crying. She always wanted to save that image of a strong woman. She couldn't let go. She was too afraid to let go. The world would collapse around her and she wouldn't let go. She kept telling herself "lose him and you'll lose yourself". 

"You mean a lot to me. You're a very individual exceptional experience. Probably, you and I... we'll never get to meet again. But you need to know that there is some beautiful ambitious light coming out of your eyes. I myself feel old and tired in front of your vigorous spirit. I wouldn't miss that for the love of whatever comes to your mind. You were born to have a hand in social change. Don't you dare lose that energy in you. No matter what happens." He deeply smelled her hair and continued, "your arms, your smell and the way your hair covers your face are my home, my shelter, my only refuge. Je veux te câliner un jour de rêve pour disparaître un siècle."


It has been said that the human brain cannot distinguish between the memories of dreams and those of reality. Dream-like memories can hold within them the imaginary touches of your lover, his never-took-place kisses, and the waves of his breath hitting the plains of your neck. They were dream-like and yet, she managed to trick her brain into thinking that they were real in an attempt to offer herself some peace of mind every time she felt like she was wobbling on the edge of insanity. 

The sight of him, his touches and his breath were part of a scenario she created in her mind while she was waiting for her friends to pick her up from the public library. The end of her daydream was declared by a simple car horn. She woke up to the bitter reality to find her heart in a place where the sun no longer shines.

                                                                                                                       ~The End~


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