Brief Encounters

Sat next to a wrinkled aged dame on the way home. Eyes twinkling and ready to talk she began her discourse with a little introduction, I am 74 years old and I have been with my beau for 4 years. Nervously playing with the edges of her nails she went on to speak of her marriage to a man who as she put it controlled her, her sons of which there are five and her realisation after decades of marriage that there was more to life then her husband let her see. So at an age where other women would blanch at the idea of being alone, she divorced him. She then went on to explain that she loves public transportation, or any venue, which allows her to meet new people. However, she states, she is somewhat picky. Placing her bag on the seat next to her, she will only move it when someone of interest catches her knowing eyes. Curiosity and questions, people and their lives, astrology and the characterizations of people, that is what sparks her interest. She commits it all to memory with an eye trained to note the tiniest of details.

She went on to describe a woman who she saw getting of the bus earlier on in the morning. Un vrai mannequin. Elegant. Raffiné. Qui porter un pair de pantalon noir et étroit, comme j’aurai portée dans mon temps. Un veste longue. Coupe exacte et bien tourneé. Noir. D’un matériel fin, satiné. Des gant de cuir, noir et finne. Et si belle!*

A moment of silence as she reminisced about her own days and then she turned to me and the questions began in ernest. What do you do for a living? Engineering. Oh! Merveilleux! Impish glint in eyes. Married? Copain? Boyfriend. Yes Heureuse? Yes, very happy. Ah ça c’est bien! How old are you? 31 Mais c’est vieille! You don’t look over 23. blush Thank you…

The miles were eaten in gulps by the tires and the minutes flew by, lost in the sharing of the tidbits that make up our lives. All too soon, my brief encounter with the wonderful French lady was over. It was time for me to bid her adieu and step off the bus, my life a little more enriched for having met her.