Nothing made him happy anymore.
Not the beach, not his job, not the salary… a pretty decent salary for a newcomer, mind you.
He got tired of smiling, clapping on the shoulders of people he hardly even knew, and shouting: Good morning, bro! What’s up, bro? Great, bro, I’m doing great, never better.
Bro this, bro that, but when he came down with the highest fever, not a single prick came by or even called…
He was tired of spending alone the holidays he failed to make his own, and also the ones nobody here heard of.
He started leaving his workplace midday – just to sit by the sea, to be alone, away from those noisy people who were all strangers to him.
He started noticing her after three weeks or so – oh, here she goes again, this girl with her dogs… after a while he realized he was trying to get there by the time she was usually passing through the bridge, walking her funny half-breeds.
He wasn’t even trying to take a good look at her.
Just a sweet silhouette on the backdrop of the sea – thin legs, funny little pigtail, fragile wrists… but from some reason, his throat got tight with tenderness.
He decided that her name was… Marie! Yes, of course she was Marie.
And she came… let’s say from France. Sure, from France. From a small town, not far from Paris.
Her elderly parents were terrified with everything going on there lately, so within six months they sold everything they could, packed up and came here, to Israel, to this town by the sea. Of course, they had friends here. And even… let’s say, Aunt Sophie. They wouldn’t have to stay home alone on Purim when everybody around them were singing and dancing.
Marie really didn’t want to go, leave all her friends behind, and even more importantly – her school. She was a history major. In the Sorbonne, naturally.
Marie, my clever girl, he thought tenderly. Not a nerd, not a spinster, but an intelligent young lady. Of course, she was very upset about her interrupted education.
He was worried about her getting into university here, she must study Hebrew, take some exams.
Of course, she’ll have to work part-time. My poor little girl, he thought, those entering exams are getting the better of you. But she’s not complaining, she’s keeping it all in, because she loves her parents and doesn’t want to upset them. Just like him, she keeps smiling and telling everyone that everything is fine!
And no, my Marie doesn’t hook up with any guys here. She’s focused. But she’s also cheerful, and the sound of her laughter is like warm milk…
And so, he would sit and think of his Marie.
The girl on the bridge would come and go, the sun would set, the wind would blow, bringing the fragrance of the sea…
Translated by Diana Shnaiderman-Pereira
He would get up and head back, smile and clap on someone’s shoulder – yeah, bro, everything is fine bro! I’m doing good, bro, and it just keeps getting better…