The Language Barrier

entracte: le saut

It wasn’t until she had already exited the train that she realized how strange this request was. But she trusted him, didn’t she? Surely if he wished to harm her he would have done so by now; and his voice sounded so sincere.

            His apartment was on the top floor. She knocked gently on the door with its small eighteen in generic number stickers, the sort you can buy from any hardware store. The landing smelled like cigarettes, and she almost wished she had one though she’d never smoked a day of her life. She watched her breath dissipate into the air as she waited, listening to him moving around behind the closed door. Her anxiety distracted her from impatience, and she hardly noticed that she’d knocked nearly five minutes ago.

            The door opened suddenly and he was standing before her, looking tired. They stood there for an awkward era, just taking in the details of another. He wore a white undershirt and flannel pajama pants, looking much more comfortable than Evelyn in her twice-worn clothing.

            “You can come in.” he whispered, and turned to the tiny foyer of his apartment. She followed, taking in the scent of cigarettes and skin. His house smelled earthy and warm, though it was barely furnished and had deathly sterile white walls and ancient green carpeting. The couch he took a seat on was worn and looked as though he’d picked it up off the side of the road, which was most likely the case.

            Evelyn, silent and confused, took a seat next to him. She sat peeking at her hands resting in her lap for a while before glancing at him. “Why’d you call?”

            He blushed and shook his head. “I was…lonesome. Tu me manques.”

            He missed her, the girl who fumbled every date and was completely out of his social caste. She stared down at her hands, not sure whether to smile or run screaming from his apartment. This was very new for Evelyn, and her emotions were stirred into a meaningless jumble of alphabet soup. She wanted to curl up into a ball until these feelings were gone and she knew how the world worked, as she always felt she had. Love was the outlier of her data, and no scientist could charm it back into what it was before.

            “Je suis désolé.” he mumbled. She turned to him, her eyes huge and blinking.

            “Don’t apologize! What for anyway? You didn’t do anything. It’s me—it’s always been—“ she burst, before all of a sudden a pair of warm arms encircled her and pulled her into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, placing his chin softly on her head and hushing her. She instantly relaxed, breathing him in and snuggling closer. Their differences and her own reservations fled her mind. She decided to let herself be selfish for once in her life and enjoy this moment regardless of the consequences.

            “Why were you upset? You couldn’t have missed me that much.” she said quietly.

            She felt his voice rumble throughout his body as he spoke. “You are my one friend. Dining with family did not go so good.”

            She sat up, concerned. “Tell me about it.”

            He shook his head. “Not now. I do not desire thinking of it. Can we sleep now?”

            It crossed her mind to bother him further about it, but she didn’t want to annoy him. She settled back in, letting his warmth serve as her security blanket for the night.

            It was below zero that night, harsh winds blowing unforgivingly through the close streets of Vieux Montréal.