These are strange times. A forced silence surrounds us. As if time has stood still. Skyscrapers rise up high into the transparent clouds that float slowly by at an indeterminate pace in the early morning. The city is slowly awakening amid the inaudible ticking of human hearts. Among those is Brittany. The young woman is standing in her small rented flat, gazing up admiringly at the imposing buildings in the city centre.
She is dreaming. She is like a little girl standing at a shop window filled with toys, eagerly looking at each item and imagining what it would be like to have one, just for a short time. To hold the toy in her hand and to own it. It’s the same with a dream. A moment that gives you an idea, a moment when the dream becomes reality.
Brittany has beautiful brown eyes, like fallen autumn leaves, like peeling tree bark. The contrast is her golden hair, like sunlight and hot sand. Her white skin only enhances the beauty of the princess.
Outside, the palm leaves flicker at the calm pace of the breeze. They change their greenish hue according to the reflection of the sun. They quietly listen to the heartbeat of the whole world, but do not react, they cannot. And even if they could, they would not want to.
The golden-haired girl slowly steps into a new day. She adjusts her dress so that it does not flap open, revealing too much of the hidden female secret. After all, mystery makes a woman a real woman. A mysterious face, carefully hidden curves, are the beginning of the boundless journey of the imagination.
She opens the door and the palm trees greet her with an invisible bow, as if she is their old acquaintance. She is, because she enters this world regularly, through the same door and with the same smile. That’s why the palm trees know her well. But she is unknown to the other surroundings. With her half-covered face, she exhibits only her gleaming eyes, full of life, enthusiasm and determination. Brittany walks confidently toward the tram stop. The hot morning air determines the temperature of the whole day, together with several sweaty bodies that are already occupying the stop.
She sighs as she boards the tram and her eyes quickly try to find a seat. Her eyes X-ray every centimetre, her brain calculating a strategy. The seat must have a good view, be tucked away … And she already has found it. Her favourite and fortunately always free spot. She heads for the seat and sits down comfortably, wiping a few drops of sweat from her forehead. They shine silvery before being destroyed forever in one movement.
The tram follows the route like a marathon runner. The girl is looking out of the window, viewing the surroundings, the sky, the remnants of the fragmented clouds. This could be a day like any other, but it is not. It is not, because this time there is one more passenger in the carriage. He is a new face to her, certainly very handsome. Above the mask she can see clear blue eyes framed by dark eyebrows. Bristly hair protrudes in all directions. The young man watches her with the same interest. He was fascinated by her from the first moment. And so two beautiful beings meet in a strange world at a difficult time.
“I wonder where he/she is going?” they both think at the same moment.
A creaking sound disturbs the regular tempo. Flickering glances alternately leap at each other and out of the windows. Brittany has to get off. She gets up from her seat and looks back at the young man once more. She alights from the tram and watches the face trapped behind the glass disappear into the distance.
“Aha,” the golden-haired girl smiles and goes to work with that pleasant feeling in her heart.
The beautiful ocean city bathes in the greyness of its former glory. Where are the days when people rejoiced here, where are the days when every opportunity for success was celebrated or just as a trifle of human existence?
Evan walks down the street that has opened its arms to him. The accelerated pace of the bustle of his surroundings does him no good. He tries to go as quickly as possible from the main avenue to the side street where the “Hope” café is located. The owner is an old local resident, an immense optimist with a boundless sense of humour. He roasts and sells the best coffee, at least according to Evan, and tries to encourage every new visitor as well as his regular customers with the image of better times.
Evan sits down at his usual table facing the street, to be able to watch the passers-by as well as the palm trees and birds. Today he has to finish a short story for the magazine he works for, so he is feeling anxious. He has already written countless short stories and good stories, yet he is like a drunken sailor on a stormy sea before each submission. He tries to concentrate, closing his eyes, but the only image he sees before him is the beautiful blonde, the golden young woman with deep eyes.
“What a beautiful day, isn’t it?” the familiar voice belonging to the owner of the café is heard next to Evan.
“It really is. But I think it could be a drop better.”
“Everything can always be better, that’s why I brought you, as always, one double expresso.”
“You are an angel!” Evan smiles.
“In the City of Angels,” the owner remarks, “hm, maybe.” He laughs heartily and walks over to the next customer.
Evan has a moment to himself. He sips his coffee and thinks. He takes a mini laptop out of his bag and starts typing. Time passes for him like water in the Pacific Ocean.
Brittany enters her small confectionery. It smells like cinnamon, vanilla and many other spices. She absorbs the aromas as a ritual, as an everyday motivation, the driving motor of a relentless pace.
She kneads the dough and goes to prepare the ingredients for all the possible creams and toppings. Hidden in her sweet studio, busy at work, she almost misses the banging on the door.
“Who’s there?” she shouts.
“Me. You ask me every day and I’ve worked here for a year.”
“I’m sorry, you always surprise me.”
A girl of a tall, slender build with short pink hair enters Brittany’s field of vision.
“If the day arrives that I don’t surprise you, it will certainly mean the destruction of mankind!”
“Come on, Kim!” the girl with the straw-coloured hair laughs.
“It’s certainly like that. Because I don’t know a person who, 365 days a year, always asks at 8:45 ‘who’s there?’ Admit that this is not normal.”
“And what’s normal?”
“My dear girl, I don’t know.”
“For example, it is normal to me to be afraid when someone enters. I remain alert and it keeps me alive. You never know who you’ll run into. And by the way, today a new passenger travelled in the tram with me. I haven’t seen his face before.”
“So, you should be ready to be surprised every time he travels with you.”
“Maybe he won’t in future.”
“Then why do you mention him?”
“He was … he was so weird. He radiated such a strange aura of calm.”
“Apparently he’s reconciled to what’s going on and can better adapt to everything.”
“I envy him,” she says, lowering her eyes, straightening her mask and getting back to work. Kim also straightens her mask that hides half of her face and goes to wash the kitchen appliances.
“Is everything all right, sir? The owner of the café asks Evan.
“Of course. Everything is always fine here.”
“Glad to hear it. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help noticing that you’re still writing. I know my regular guests. Nonetheless, I can’t rank you and I think I have a relatively clear overview of the local artists.”
“I’m not a writer. Just a mercenary who writes short stories for a magazine.”
“May I ask your name?”
“Evan Moore.”
“Hm –”
“Don’t worry, I have to work my way through to glory. I’m at the beginning, I moved here recently and what fate has in store for me is still in the stars.” Evan interrupts the owner’s speech.
“Son, why so much self-criticism? It’s such a beautiful day.”
“It really is,” Evan smiles, recalling Goldilocks on the morning tram.
“Listen, Brittany, the woman for the cake with cupcakes will be here in a minute. How are you doing?”
“They’re almost ready. I’ve got it. Just the last raspberry and it will be ready. See? Look!” Brittany says, carrying her creation on a tray. “Now we just need to move them carefully into boxes so that they don’t get damaged.”
“Yeah, Mrs Davis called, ordered two wedding cakes. She said that if she likes them, she would like to establish regular work with you. She is supposed to be from the ‘Wedding Dream` company? Do you know them?”
“It sounds familiar to me. It’s definitely another company that will want us to adapt to their requirements over time.”
“You know I don’t want to say much to you about this, but we’re not in a position to refuse.”
“I understand that you’re afraid.”
“Yes, I am. I understand that we barely survived last year, everything is so uncertain. Actually, I wanted to talk to you today about the fact that…” the girl whose pink hair shines in the room, pauses, “about the fact that I have found another job.”
“Aha!” Brittany looks up at her friend in astonishment.
“I didn’t plan it, but I need to survive.”
“We all do, Kim, all of us…”
“I am sorry.”
“It’s no problem. But I will have a hard time managing the shop by myself, and having to look for an assistant now is quite complicated in this type of business.”
“As long as I can, I’ll help you.”
“As long as I can,” Brittany thinks to herself. It may be a day or another year. Oh, another uncertainty. Nobody wants that right now, and yet it takes control of everything. When will all this end, when will we finally be able to live normally without fear, without worries? So many questions and no answer within sight. Nobody knows.
Today the young woman finds it very hard to fall asleep. Maybe she will have to change her job, change her life, throw away her dreams. Her dreams. A tear, limpid as a human soul, wells up in her eyes.
“No, my girl, don’t give up! You can do it yourself,” Brittany tells herself before closing her eyes.
Evan also does not have a very happy day. After drinking his coffee, reading a newspaper and finishing his short story, he goes to the newsroom. He is in no hurry, so he walks through the almost deserted streets. The days of bustle, when human laughter was heard on all sides have vanished, drowned in the grief of the pandemic. Half-empty shop windows shimmer in the dust of their former fame, while their owners try in vain to survive. When the young man enters his kingdom, he does not even manage to put his mini laptop on the desk before his boss is already standing in the doorway, shouting instead of greeting him. Evan’s eyes just pop, he does not grasp all the words spoken in anger.
“Do you think this is a madhouse?”
“Certainly I don’t, Mr Johnson.”
“But you’re not acting like that. You should have been here two hours ago, two!” Johnson shouts and sticks out his index and middle fingers meaningfully.
“I’m sorry, I must have mistaken the day, I don’t know how it could have happened to me.”
“Mistaken the day! You have mistaken the day! How can anyone confuse a day when there are only seven of them in a week and they keep being repeated? What did they teach you at school?”
“Mr Johnson, I…”
“I, I. Do you think the world revolves around you? You’re very wrong. Outside the door there is a queue of people like you, who can do your job much better!”
Evan just takes a deep breath, there’s no point in saying anything. The enraged boss is like an irritated bull. If he didn’t have a mask on his face, Evan would be spattered. For a few more long minutes, the man paces dramatically around the room. The whole situation arouses the interest of the other people around, which does not please Evan very much. He does not like to be the centre of attention, and certainly not at all under such circumstances.
“So, I’ll give you one chance to fix it, just because I like you. You missed today’s deadline, so pack up your things and go home to write a new story. I’m throwing this one out right away!”
The sound of whistling paper interrupts the tense silence. Evan lowers his eyes, embarrassed, feels the drops of sweat welling up on his temples. Even his reddened cheeks show how the boss’s anger has touched him. Unable to object, he just nods in agreement and leaves in silence.
“What were you thinking? Damn, ruining this all in a such way! You fool!” Evan tells himself off in his mind. He would best like to slap himself. For a moment, outside the newsroom, as he leaves the main entrance, he takes off his mask to take a deep breath and to air his sweaty cheeks. The hot sunbeams tickle him kindly. Loaded with a shoulder bag, he sets off on his way home.
In the tram, he looks around curiously to see if, for example, he can spot a charming half-covered face. However, he is not successful today. The face remains only in his imagination, and will never leave him, because he refuses to let it out of his mind.
Immediately upon arrival home, he takes a lukewarm shower to refresh his mind and body in the weary summer heat. He washes away the last remnants of humiliation and lets them drain out into the impenetrable darkness. The flower-covered terrace will provide him with a pleasant shelter from the inhospitable world for the rest of the day. He sits in a chair and thinks about what his new story will be about.
Brittany wakes up due to being thirsty. The air conditioning is not working again. She has to see the caretaker first thing in the morning to tell him to look at it, otherwise more sleepless nights will follow.
In the morning, she listens to the News on the radio, which begins with the usual greeting by the presenter: “Good morning Los Angeles!”
“May today be a good one, not only this morning,” the young woman thinks, combing her thick hair in front of the huge mirror that dominates the bathroom and magnifies it visually. She carefully combs each lock of hair like a golden thread. Her hair flows down to her waist like the desert sand. She picks up a few fallen hairs from the floor and throws them into the basket. Before leaving for work, she looks again at the skyscrapers, smiles to herself and slams the door.
The sun burns on to all the rooftops, hot air covers the entire city like an invisible hand. The mask covers half of her face, it is necessary to guess at the remaining features. Huge brown cat eyes observe the surroundings. She breathes deeply and calmly to concentrate.
“We’re prisoners of ourselves,” Brittany thinks, and as she does every day, she walks to the tram stop. There are all the familiar faces, the few individuals who can still go to work like her. For how long? Will they keep their jobs, will this hopeless situation ever end?
As she sits down in her favourite seat, she looks around to find the face from the previous day. But the young man with the bewitching appearance is not here today. He will not be in the tram for another six days.
At 8:45 Brittany is not startled as usual, which, on the contrary, makes Kim puzzled. She looks in surprise at the working blonde. She has known her for many years, so she knows that, although it is not visible under the blue mask, she is certainly biting her lips as she concentrates on her creations. Brittany is upset after the previous day’s conversation. She did not sleep due to the heat, but also could not rest due to all kinds of existential thoughts.
She refuses to give up and decides to keep her confectionery open at all costs, even without her friend’s help. She is sorry that Kim has somehow betrayed her, but she doesn’t want to ruin their pleasant and rather rare friendship.
“Are you all right today?” Kim asks.
“I’m just tired.”
“I see, I’m going for it,” Kim says, throwing herself into her work.
“How long are you going to be working here?”
“As long as you need me.”
“But you took on another job, how are you going to manage that?”
“Well, I don’t know.”
“This uncertainty worries me, Kim. We will manage things differently. How much would you earn in that new job, if you worked there fulltime?”
“More than I do in your confectionery,” Kim replies involuntarily.
“Fine, go there! I will cope here somehow and if there is a big order that I need help with, I’ll call you and pay you in cash for it. What do you think?”
“Brittany, I didn’t want it to come to this.”
“No problem! I also need certainty and this seems to me to be the most sensible solution. I would just be anxious about you.”
“So I shouldn’t come in tomorrow, should I?”
“No, Kim. We’ll continue to see each other only as friends, not as colleagues.”
Kim just nods, albeit reluctantly, but has to respect her friend’s decision.
That evening, despite all the prohibitions and restrictions, they hug each other goodbye. The human embrace, a sign of eternity, security and hope.
The calm evening lights the celestial lanterns so that they can shine on all the returnees on their way home.
Evan is frantically thinking about what other topic to address in the short story. Everything is constantly revolving around the pandemic, death, exhaustion. Tirelessly, endlessly. The disease has taken over the world, and now it laughs softly from a distance, as human worms fight in vain our invisible enemy, like Don Quixote and the windmills, so far without success. The moribund economy is driving people crazy, suicidal, to a complete breakdown of society.
“No, no, no! I can’t write about this. Nobody wants depressing topics.” The young man rubs his eyes, he’s tired. He goes to open a bottle of beer. He leans against the rail of the balcony and looks around. There is silence everywhere, only the palm trees sway softly from side to side as a gentle breeze blows them gently.
It is Monday. The beginning of the week. The everydayness of rituals is slowly blunting some people. Eating, sleeping, going to work. Making money, paying the rent or mortgage. The joy disappears, because everyday experiences are absorbed by the maw of restrictions. At least a few ways remain to enjoy the day. Evan, getting ready for work so that he too can meet his deadline, straightens the mask over his mouth for a last time. Today, the mask has a blue striped pattern to match his T-shirt.
He sits in the tram carriage and observes the surroundings. He has a bag with his mini laptop on his lap. In his field of view, the scene of terraced houses with carefully landscaped lawns flashes by. The variety of plaster colours gives pleasure to the eyes of the viewers.
The bumping makes him slightly drowsy, but something suddenly interrupts him. He turns his head and sees her. Today, the beautiful girl with her hair in a chignon boards the tram and looks around carefully. Her gaze falls on Evan, her brown eyes shining like a thousand sparks. Evan watches with bated breath to see where she will sit.
Brittany is taken aback. After a long, difficult week during which Kim left her and she was all alone at work, she didn’t have time to think about this young man, who had attracted her the previous Monday.
“He’s here!” she thinks.
She sits down in her usual seat and smiles shyly under the mask. She is waiting.
Evan is determined, because life is so short and this is certainly no coincidence.
“Hi!” He sits on the opposite seat to keep a social distance.
“Hi.”
“How are you? I don’t want to be intrusive.”
“No problem. I’m quite fine.”
“I see.” He looks at the young woman enquiringly.
“Well, I’ve just had a difficult week, but I don’t want to complain, because there are a lot of people who have much more complicated lives and I don’t want to sound like a whiner.”
“You’re not a whiner. What’s your job?”
“I have a confectionery. I’ve been alone at work since last week. On the one hand, I’m glad there’s enough work, only there is just too much.”
“I understand.”
“And what do you do? You’re not a daily commuter, I know that.”
“Really?”
“I have a great memory.”
“Hm. I work for a magazine, to which I regularly contribute my articles. It’s a stepping stone for me. I would like to devote more time to writing, possibly as a freelance writer.”
“And what’s stopping you?”
“I guess my momentary courage is failing.”
Brittany laughs out loud. In fact, it warms her heart that she is not the only one in the world with big dreams, who is afraid.
“You must never be discouraged by anything or anyone,” she tells the young man.
“No, but you know, times are pretty uncertain now. I can’t afford to take a risk.”
“I understand.”
The time passes by pleasantly. An inaudible desire to “stop time” hangs in the air.
“I’m getting off at the next stop.” Goldilocks begins to stand up slowly. Evan watches her, but before he manages to react, the young woman has gone. For the whole day, he chides himself for being a fool for not asking for her phone number or just where she works. Actually, not even her name.
Miss Davis visits Brittany at work today. “You know, I’m very interested in your work. I have already had the opportunity to taste your creations due to my acquaintance and I am amazed. I can visualise our collaboration. I have contacts with many companies that organise wedding receptions, as well as other parties, and I think they would also like and appreciate your work very much.”
“I am very pleased by your interest. I would just like to say at the outset that I do not want to adapt to anyone. I rely on my original work and it is a priority for me.”
“I see. No one will force you into anything. I am primarily concerned about our mutual collaboration. You would have a free hand in all other matters.”
“In that case, I’d be very happy to agree.”
“Oh, I’m pleased to hear that. Excuse me, I’ll take the two cakes today, as we agreed, and then I’ll call and we can discuss the details. What do you think?”
“Okay, I can only agree to that.” Brittany’s eyes shine like a young child’s again. Maybe things are looking up.
“I hope I see him soon.” Brittany thinks that evening.
Miss Davis walks away with a slightly artificial smile to her other daily duties, loading the cakes in her car. After she leaves, the phone will not stop ringing and, surprisingly, there are many orders. Brittany is overjoyed. The only little thing that bothers her is that she doesn’t know when she will see the attractive young man again. They didn’t even manage to tell each other their names. They were so busy talking about their problems that they forgot about such a formal thing.
This time Evan is not in the dog box. His boss is now calm again and in his sleek, perhaps rather boring suit, he looks like an innocent sheep.
“Is that the topic you want to write about?”
“I would like to.”
“Um, well … I don’t want to be cynical, but do you think people will be interested?”
“I dare say, yes. There is only chaos all around us, greyness and fear. People need some hope that it will be better again, that there is something that unites us all and will serve as a guide and inspiration for us always to have the desire to fight, to try.”
“You are passionate, I like that. I hope that you get the same response from readers.”
“I will. Believe me.”
The boss just nods, knowing full well that in this young man there is more than enthusiasm for work.
With new hope, Evan closes himself up in his small office and sets to work. “I will definitely amaze the world, I will definitely!”
That afternoon, he goes to his favourite café for coffee.
“I haven’t seen you in a long time, my lad.”
“I’ve been working from home.”
“I look forward to your next article. I finally found the magazine you contribute to and I have to say I really enjoy your writing.”
“Thank you.”
“What’s your next topic?”
“Let it be a surprise! I believe you’ll like it.”
“That sounds so mysterious, but I can’t wait.”
“I found some wonderful inspiration.”
“Really? And what’s her name?” The café owner smiles roguishly at Evan.
“I really don’t know. I hesitated …”
“How could this happen to you?”
“You won’t believe it, but I was so lost in her eyes that I completely forgot about the world around me.”
“My boy, I believe you and understand very well. I lived with one such beautiful being for twenty years.”
Evan smiles, glad that someone understands him and can share his joy.
“As soon as I see the beautiful girl again, I won’t let her get away.”
“I hope so, my lad, and then definitely bring her here.”
“You can bet on that!”
They both laugh about it.
A deep-rooted thought won’t let him go to sleep. How long must he wait before seeing her again …
“You’re acting like a madman, Evan! Go to sleep and when the right moment comes, you will see her again and next time, you won’t let her escape. Not without knowing her name.”
Evan wakes up early the next morning. He doesn’t have to go to work today, but still decides to catch the morning tram. Maybe he will be lucky to encounter the blonde, or at least he can gather some inspiration for his writing. He puts a striped mask over his mouth again. He leaves his flat. He is immediately bathed in heat. The sun beats down particularly intensely today, as if it has decided to fry the whole of California. The glow is reflected in all the shop windows and streets. The ocean lashes the shore wildly, licking it like a hungry man longing for at least a small morsel of food. A couple of surfers are waiting for a good wave. It’s all about the uniqueness of the moment. Just like a lifetime. If you have an opportunity, you must seize it. If you let it flow through your fingers like water, you’re just a totally ordinary coward.
Evan watches the adventurers on the waves with interest. That freedom is so wonderful, so captivating. He walks a little further along the beach, before turning into another street to reach the tram stop. He watches the passengers impatiently, it’s exactly like the previous day. He sits tensely in his previous seat and waits. The tram bumps along and gives him the same view, the same colours, perhaps the same feeling.
The stop. The single-carriage tram halts, the door slowly opens. Evan watches intently to see who is boarding. The first person is an elderly man in a baseball cap and wearing a colourful shirt and shorts. He holds a bag in his hand, the contents are secret to others. Evan cranes his neck. “Come on, where are you?” he thinks, when a familiar figure appears at the door. Today she has loose hair. The golden glow dazzles him like a digger for gold in the Klondike. Brittany notices him. He has no idea how happy her heart is as she walks slowly toward him.
“We forgot something last time,” Evan says immediately before Brittany can sit down.
“Yes, and what is that?”
“I’m Evan.” He smiles, but one can’t see it. Only the wrinkles around his eyes betray him.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Brittany.”
“Beautiful name.”
“Thank you.”
Perhaps even the sun smiles slightly when this banal phrase is uttered.
“I don’t want to make the same mistake, Brittany, so I’ll ask you right away – where do you work?”
“I told you I have my own confectionery.”
“Yes, but I wonder where it is.”
“On Rita Avenue,” she replies.
“Okay. And what would you say if I picked you up around six, we can take a walk? Go for coffee and have a little chat, get to know each other.”
“I’d love to,” the young woman agrees, and this time she smiles with the dancing wrinkles on her face.
“So how did you get into doing this type of work?” Evan asks her while strolling along the beach. The sky is almost deep red and the cries of seagulls float in the air.
“I once baked a friend’s birthday cake and I’ve stayed with it. I was thrilled. I enjoy making people happy. And I also rather like being my own boss. I only have a small store now, but I wish I had the biggest and the best.” She laughs.
“Why not? It is only you who sets the limits for yourself. You told me!” He teases her.
“It’s a bit difficult now. People have become very thrifty, they don’t have those opulent celebrations anymore. Weddings keep me afloat, so I can’t afford to go to a bigger place, because it equals a bigger rent. I maintain myself, some help and that’s it.”
“Things will be better and then you can do everything.”
Brittany smiles, Evan seems to have magical powers, because he makes her feel that it will be better soon and that she’ll make it.
“And what about your dreams?” she asks the young man.
“They are not very different from yours. I want to be a writer, pass on a message to people through my books.”
“You can do that now.”
“I’m not experienced enough, I don’t have a well-developed topic. It’s a process and I don’t want to underestimate it.”
“I agree with you. What about university, wouldn’t that help you?”
“I graduated in Journalism. I’m where I am now. I’m gaining experience and when I feel I’m ready, I’ll start.”
“You’re interesting, Evan.” The young woman walking beside him is examining him curiously. She keeps her distance, according to the social distancing instructions.
“I like this place. Not many surfers come here, so it is relatively quiet. I come here to clear my head.”
“We have much more in common than I thought. It’s my favourite spot as well.”
Their feet sink into the sand, grains of sand crunching between their toes. It is a precious moment, rare and pure.
“And what will you write about in your next story?” Brittany asks.
“My boss thinks I’m a little infantile, but I want to write about ‘The First Kiss’. He claims that people will not be very interested. On the other hand, I think he’s just testing me, my resilience. If he didn’t believe in me, he wouldn’t let me write about it.”
“That’s true. And, on the contrary, the first kiss is more than a mere experience. It is a symbol of something new, confidential.”
“Yes, it’s a symbol.”
Their moments spent together become a ritual. They talk about the sense and nonsense of life. They are troubled by the never-ending pandemic, the relentless government, uncertain tomorrows. Almost every day when seeing each other, they say goodbye with a question in their eyes: “What will happen tomorrow?”
Mrs Davis calls Brittany at work several days later to arrange their future collaboration. “Everyone was excited. Your tarts are really scrumptious! I dare say you have a promising career ahead of you. And you should definitely enter the competition, let the world know about you.”
Brittany jumps up enthusiastically after the call and, if there had been someone next to her, she would have hugged him.
“I’ll let them know about me, for sure!” she thinks to herself and starts on another job. It is a big order, she doesn’t have a chance to take a break, but she doesn’t mind, because this is her purpose in life, her fulfilment.
After work, she goes for a walk to the beach, to her favourite place. She wants to let the world know of her joy, relax and settle her thoughts. Here she gathers inspiration.
The young woman is sitting on a clifftop, a blue dress clinging to her slender figure. She is gazing out at the sea, into the depths of her soul. The waves break on the rocks in front of her as if bowing to her. The sound of the ocean spreads all around and the cold water cools her feet. A lonely beauty, queen of the seas. Evan watches her from a distance. He wishes she is not wearing a mask, so he can see her whole face. If only he had met her at another time. If only …
“Hi Brittany,” he waves at her.
“Evan, what are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you.”
He sits down next to her, the young woman in the blue dress, the ruler of the seas. He straightens the mask over his mouth.
The evening haze lazily clings over the city. They just sit there together for a while, contemplating.
“I had a great day today.”
“Me too. My story was successful.”
“See? I told you so!”
“Yes. ‘The Kiss’ was a great success.”
The joy is mirrored in their eyes, if it were tangible, they would embrace it. It’s getting dark, it’s time to go back home. They stand together at the tram stop, smiling. The creaking machine trundles up to them. It opens its innards, into which they enter reluctantly. They sit opposite each other, as always.
“We could celebrate together tomorrow,” Evan suggests.
The girl nods happily. The same palm trees, the same houses shimmer behind the glass. Brittany inhales, in a moment it will be her stop. She is controlled by a feeling that she cannot resist, although it may have unpleasant consequences. She doesn’t care. The perfect moment is here and now.
She leans close to Evan. She quickly pulls her mask down. Evan can finally see her beauty. He is so surprised by what she does, that he barely notices that she has carefully removed his mask that separated them from completeness. Brittany carefully examines his features, the shape of his nose, his lips. And then she presses her lips to his. As a symbol. A symbol of freedom.
