Short
Story number 9: Inspired by
the song «Low Rising» by The Swell Season from the album Strict Joy.
To any casual observer, they seemed to be two
strangers with no other connection, except the fact, that the laws of physics
determined that they shared the same space and time and accidentally crossed
each other’s path. They were sitting side by side, but apart from sharing the
same table, nothing else revealed the real bond between those two souls. The
loud noise of the crowded restaurant did not appear to bother the couple having
dinner. They both executed the movements with pristine precision, as if they
were actors in a play, and everything had to be according to the script,
leaving no margin for improvisation. In a place, where socializing was the
keystone, and everyone, at one point or another, engaged in random conversations,
they were clearly swimming against the current, as they were not talking to
each other. They were both staring into the void and it was perceptible that
each was lost in their own thoughts, rambling around the outskirts of their own
private world.
Though they appeared to be mere strangers, they were,
in fact, connected by years of close intimacy.
When they both finally finished their meal, their eyes
met, in a silent attempt to predict the next move. After muttering something,
she left the table to go freshen up and his eyes followed her.
Throughout the years they have been together he
cultivated the habit of observing her moves and reactions, particularly when
she was not aware of being the focus of his attention. He believed that one’s
true self easily emerges when in complete solitude or at a safe distance from
the possibility of being scrutinized by others. Therefore, taking the time to
pay close attention to the small details of someone’s actions, generally leads
to a better understanding of the person as a whole, bringing us one step closer
to capture their true essence. Nevertheless, it has been a long time since he
last engaged in the conscious action of taking charge of his senses and command
them to get rid of all the filters that gradually undermine every attempt to
grasp objectivity, distorting the reality, preventing us from fully apprehend
what is right in front of us, and focus solely on her.
That self-imposed clarity of thought allowed him to
recognize that she still kept the same graciosity that first fascinated him.
She moved with the elegance of a queen, yet her eyes reflected an earnest and straightforward
simplicity.
While returning from the restroom, she caught a
glimpse of his face amongst the faceless crowd. She could see that he was
clearly staring at her. And, by the time she reached the dinner table, she
already knew that something had changed in the way he used to look at her. It
almost seemed as if he was looking at her for the first time. The perplexity of
that moment, caught her off guard and immediately touched a chord inside her,
waking her up from the emotional lethargy she had been in. It was one of those
unpredictable moments, when a simple gesture or an unexpected attitude from
someone we know, or we think we know, can suddenly change, in a few seconds,
years of pre-defined opinions or even feelings that we used to experience about
that person.
He stood up from the chair. As he went on to pay the
dinner’s bill, her eyes followed him. She still admired his confident manners
and the strength of his stare. He always had this ability to read her soul and
disarm her insecurities. It was inexplicable to her how the distance between
them could have grown to the point of almost transforming them into two
strangers.
He returned to the dinner table and they prepared
themselves to leave the restaurant. As they stood before the entrance door,
they simultaneously reached for the door knob. The synchronization and
spontaneity of that gesture brought back to both unsuspicious feelings that had
been laying beneath years of misunderstandings, regrets and deceptions. Their
eyes met, and for the first time in years they were actually not indifferent to
each other’s presence. At that precise moment, although without any kind of
formal and rational recognition from the parts involved, a silent pact was
made. That night, they chose to stop the motion that had been pushing them
further away from each other and commit themselves to slowly restore the bond
they still shared but did not seem to remember anymore.
By Raquel R.
