An unforgettable stranger
1093 Words
remained standing on the same spot long after the stranger had disappeared.
The evening breeze swept through the empty streets, creating an atmosphere filled with suspense all around me.
My fingers instinctively tightened around my purse as if I was scared of it getting snatched again.
Replays of the incident kept repeating in my head.
The French men, the thief, the handsome-looking man, and the person behind him that appeared from God knows where.
I had barely seen his face.
He put on a dark hat, making it difficult to see his eyes, but at least I could still remember his voice.
Calm, thick, and steady, with an accent I had never heard in my entire stay in Paris.
I remembered one small detail.
Someone had just said something fluently in English to me.
After so long.
“Be careful around here.”
That was all he said before disappearing as unnoticed as he had appeared.
He was the first person that spoke to me in English after my aunt, Èlise.
His English seemed fluent.
That was the most fascinating part of the entire encounter.
I turned back towards the lane he had disappeared from.
Empty and motionless, like no one was ever there.
“I didn’t even get to say thank you,” I mumbled while shaking my head in disbelief.
A soft chuckle escaped my lips.
“What kind of person would save someone and just walk away?” I thought to myself.
I looked at my purse, unzipped it, and saw nothing was missing.
My phone, my passport, everything was there.
A sigh of relief escaped me, but was suddenly replaced by something else, my heart still racing.
What if he hadn’t shown up?
What if...
I quickly blocked the thought.
The sun's rays were fading, slowly disappearing with every passing second.
I decided I had seen enough for just one evening, hugging my purse tightly while I hurried home.
By the time I had reached my aunt's apartment, it was already dark.
The city was glowing with street lights all around.
The Eiffel Tower had already been lit and glowed beautifully from afar.
The familiar scent of garlic and herbs greeted me as I walked in.
“Lucy!”
My aunt's voice called from the kitchen like she had already been waiting for me.
Aunt Èlise Laurent, my mum’s younger sister, walked out of the kitchen holding a small wooden spoon.
For over a month, I have been staying with her after the sad departure of my mum back in Florida.
“There you are,” she said.
Her smile faded almost immediately.
“What happened?”
She said with a look of surprise on her face.
She had already noticed something was off.
“I’m fine.”
She kept quiet for a few seconds, folded her arms, and kept on staring like she was waiting for something to come out of my mouth.
The moment began to seem more awkward with every single passing second.
“I was robbed,”
I said in a calm yet distressed manner.
The spoon immediately slipped from her hands to the floor.
“You were what?”
She rushed towards me.
“My purse was stolen.”
“Are you hurt?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
I pulled the purse out of my jacket and tossed it on the couch.
I sat down on the floor, resting my head on one side of the couch.
“But I thought you were rob…”
“A man helped me,”
I interrupted her.
She came closer and sat beside me on the couch.
“What man?”
“What really happened?”
In a sharp tone, she seemed more concerned.
“I don’t know him.
It all just happened.”
“He stopped the thief.”
Aunt Èlise frowned.
“And then?”
“He gave me my purse back.”
She sighed and adjusted her sitting posture like she had become relieved.
“Ooh, thank goodness.
Hope you told him thank you.”
“I couldn’t.”
My gaze dropped instantly like I felt ashamed of myself.
“He left without giving me a chance to...”
I said reluctantly.
The room went dead silent for a few seconds.
Èlise finally let out a heavy sigh as she embraced me.
“I’m glad you’re safe,” she said while patting my hair.
I rested on her shoulder.
For the first time in a long while, I felt at peace.
Dinner was a bit quieter than it used to be.
The silence became too loud and awkward.
Drops of rain were tapping softly on the windows.
Èlise stayed at the other end of the table, staring at me.
“You shouldn’t wander that far alone,” she spoke gently.
I nodded my head immediately in agreement without uttering a word.
“What was he like?”
My heart dropped immediately.
I started choking on the food I was already chewing.
I took a sip of water and asked her what she had said again.
She stayed silent, giving me a weird look that explained everything.
“He was tall, handsome…”
I didn’t realize I had been talking for minutes already.
I had every bit of her attention.
I talked so fast, telling her every single bit of detail I could remember.
I lost interest in my food.
The soup had already gone cold.
In some ways I can’t explain, talking about a stranger made up for my already ruined day.
Èlise kept laughing more and more as I kept telling her the story.
It seemed even more interesting in a conversation than it actually was in real life.
She had become my closest companion.
She was now more like a mother to me than any other relative.
We always joked and laughed together.
It began to seem like she was the only one that understood me.
Well, she actually was…
Later that evening, I stood on the small balcony, staring at the glowing city.
The view of the city at night was breathtaking.
“Who was this man?”
“Is he somewhere on this street?”
“What’s his name?”
Whatever the answer is, I just hope that life gives me a chance to say the two words I owe him.
Thank you.
I turned off the balcony lights and jumped into my bed, but couldn’t sleep due to the recurring imaginary scenes playing in my head.
They echoed in my mind until, exhausted, I fell asleep.
- Writer
