LJ Idol Week 6 entry

The woman was calmly seated on one of those wooden benches munching on a bloc of milky ice cream. It was midday, almost afternoon and her eyes wandered over the green grass, the small bungalows, the people wandering around on the meandering pathways. The woman, who may be called Gabrielle for the sake of data protection and privacy, was just starting to get bored until she spotted something in the distance, or rather, somebody.

Another woman was approaching the round, mushroom-like building that hosted the library. Gabrielle called: “Hey!” but no reaction came from that woman, who continued her walk without slowing down. Gabrielle swallowed another bit of ice cream, then she raised her voice again after straightening the upper part of her high grown and slender body: “Hey you, young woman in the blue shirt and with long hair!”

This time, the other woman turned around (her real name is irrelevant and we will call her Anna). “Hellooooooo you.” Gabrielle smiled and waved with the hand that was not holding the ice cream. Anna pointed to her chest as if to ask: “Who, me?”

“Yes, you”. Gabrielle called over cheerfully, taking another bite from the melting bloc in her hand while Anna approached her, hesitantly, as if she was not sure if she was to expect something good from Gabrielle.

“What are you doing here?” Gabrielle was curious, but managed to handle her impatience.

“I was going to the library.”

Anna’s voice was quiet. She seemed nervous, rubbing the back of her left hand with her right thumb.

“You mean… you do not work here?” Gabrielle raised her eyebrows in absolute surprise. Anna could have said she was going to get on her time machine and travel back to find out where she left her keys.

“No, I don’t work here.” Anna seemed very shy still, but it looked like she slowly relaxed because Gabrielle was not going to laugh about the way she walked or the way she wore her hair. No danger, hopefully. And Anna added: “I am a patient here, just like you.”

Gabrielle smiled even brighter. “You look so normal, I mean, not like someone who is in treatment. More like a doctor, someone curing others from the disorders.”

Anna had to smile, too, for the first time, since this conversation had started.

“What is your name? I am Gabrielle.”

“I am Anna.”

“Ok, Anna, do you wanna hear a song? I was once in a famous pop combo and we had that smash hit you might remember… Five Rays of Light: Party all night?”

“Sure.” Anna nodded. “Yes, why not.” Anna’s overly surprised look on the outside only reflected half of the thought going on on the inside. Not only was Gabrielle the first one in years that had called after her like that without intention of bullying her (at least, Anna had decided that she was going to believe Gabrielle was not bullying her) but also in this place, of all places, she got to meet a former pop star to sing her a song.

Gabrielle climbed on the bench, pushed some button on her mp3 player for her music and started singing. Her voice soon filled the air around the wooden bench, but nobody stopped and stared, except for Anna, who stood still, listening, not knowing where to take her hands, or her legs, or her facial expression.

When Gabrielle finished the song, she got down on the bench, switched of the playback and investigated Anna, waiting for her feedback.

“That was amazing. You have a beautiful voice.” Anna was feeling lighter, she blushed and looked down on the concrete tiles of the path.

“Thank you.” Gabrielle happily acknowledged Anna’s words. Anna then checked her watch. “Sorry, I need to go. As I do not work here, I need to join everyone for coffee.” She actually had some sense of humour. With her feet on the secure ground of knowing she was not going to be bullied, she could place her steady steps wherever she wished to go. When the ground was shaky and fractured, she used to move her feet carefully, minding the gaps she could fall and disappear in.

“It was nice to meet you, Anna.” Gabrielle got up, put her headphones on and walked off, singing. It was seconds after Anna had seen Gabrielle’s curly head turn right behind the white door of department II that she noticed this conversation had really, actually and in fact, ended much more positive than she had anticipated.

And so Anna walked off, too, not singing, but moving her lips a little with the song in her head.