Then we catch sight of a young face at the the traffic signal. The girl. Of dark complexion, pouted lips. Soft brown eyes that are shadowed by heavy lashes. The girl’s smile is fervent and her pupils dart. Looking for familiar faces. Faces with mouths that would go to her parents and tell them that they saw their daughter on the road. Mouths that the girl hopes would remain closed, minds that would forget.
The girl is with a boy. Her fingers are entwined with his. He plays with the rings on her fingers as he helps her climb onto a divider. She follows, content in his shadow, protected from the sunlight and stares that follow. He turns to look at her, his eyes meet hers, they smile. She blushes and he looks away, still smiling.
The girl and the boy enter a shop. The girl is buying something she needs from the store. The boy stealthily hops into the nearby flower shop and gets her a rose. She is thrilled to have it. She smiles, says thanks, and while nobody notices, gives his hand a squeeze.
The signal turns green and we zoom away on the bike. Nostalgic. We remember the days things were similar for them. The uncertainty, the stealth, the hours compressing themselves into mere minutes. We remember the days we fought to be able to be together. The ecstasy of approval. We remember the day we were married.
We hope it works out well for the boy and the girl. We hope that they, too, grow, and remember, what it took to turn that love into accepted reality. And even if accepted reality seems less adventurous than love, we hope that the boy and the girl remember that they would, one day, trade their life, for a minute of that same accepted reality.
Sometimes, realities are stranger than dreams. And more valuable too.
A lovely story.. you caught a great moment there! I’m sure there are so many, but seldom do we actually notice
Thanks Faye 🙂
I loved your blog post very much….more than that, actually.