ON A SHINY DAY

On a shiny day I decided to go jogging in a park in the neighborhood of our house. I dressed my sport suit and check my bathroom so I can directly take my shower. I took my CD player with me and pick up a CD that can keep me in a good mood.


In the early hours, the sun was warm, no clouds in the sky, I start my jog. After few spin I noticed a young girl sitting underneath a tree watching me continually.


An hour later, the girl is always watching me. So I decided to ask her if she needs anything and if she is okay.


Me: hi, my name is Jane.
The girl: hi.


Me: it’s a nice day, are you waiting for someone? If you need to make a call I have a cellular phone.
The girl: no thanks, I’m fine


Me: ok, what’s your name?
The girl: Melanie.
Me: you seem gloomy, is anything wrong with you?
Melanie: well everything is off beam.


Me: it depend what do u mean by everything (and I smiled).
Melanie: the fact that a person is born, this is the wrong thing.
Me: oh!! And why is that?
Melanie: if God exist, and as they say he loves us, why he send us to suffer?


Me: that’s a good question, but what do you mean by suffering? what makes you suffer? Plus, life isn’t just a suffering journey. It depend how you analyze it.


We spend two hours talking about God, life…..Melanie was a nice girl, she knows how to talk, and smart, gorgeous and funny but you can obviously see the sorrow in her attractive eyes.


Those two hours turned to four months, I didn’t need the CD player anymore, and we were jogging together each day but never went out from this park. She never accepted to go out for a coffee or a drink. I had never been in her place and she had never been in mine. The park was our only place to meet. The creepy thing is that she never talks about her family, friends or her personal life. Our talks were always on actual subject, social subject, cultural and politics. I was never bored, not once from our talks.


We became friends so I decided to go deeply and try to figure out what is the thing that makes everything wrong. So from time to time I was asking her if she can explain me what she means about “everything is wrong”. She kept smiling without any answer.


Once, after four month, she looked at me and said:
I need to say something, no one in this earth ever heard it from me, and I never imagined that I will say it to anyone, but the thing is that I need to speak…..I need to breath.


I didn’t say a word we took a seat in front of the river and she started: …
“……I waited for so long and time still running, I didn’t deserve this life both my sisters and brother.
Where should I start to begin my story?
I was afraid …to have company …because I couldn’t earn the ride and more ……


I had never earned what to put on my lazy body.
Always the truth of me was hiding, no one knows my truth, I played well in front of people….believe me, and I can have an Oscar for that.”
“You can’t imagine how many times I received a love letter or declaration of love; it makes me feel sad my proud always province me to even think of getting a normal life.”


With a fake smile she said: “sometime I feel that my beauty is a curse, I sometime wish that I was an ugly girl.”


She took a deep breath…..and she continued.
“I never had the power to say I don’t have bills to pay a coffee, and that …..I prefer to spend it on me to get home…I can’t walk,… my home is so far away and I can’t support passing beside shops, stores, malls without getting mad.”


I gave her some napkins I had it with me, her tears were falling and it’s like she didn’t felt them fall. She stopped a while, wiped her tears and then she continued.


“I had never did a shopping believe it or not, I satisfied myself by drawing in my dreams the owner of my heart imagining that he can turn my life to a life time festival!! Laughs, lots of surprises, support, tenderness, oh ……words, flowers, rides, parties, gifts and a clear, peaceful Future.”


Suddenly she had that smile, it’s like she’s laughing on herself.
“It’s hard to spend my life time dreaming of a body lotion or fancy clothes. I’m not that material girl but every person needs a minimum.”

A breath of wind came, she stopped and enjoys it, I did the same thing, and I felt that I need it too. Then she proceeded.


“Actually I realized that no one can turn my life, I have to make it on my own. No one is indebted to do that and more; I can’t ask it, no one can handle all what I need.
My deep and multiple needs didn’t stop my life, maybe because I have to rise, I have to be strong enough much stronger than a normal human being.
All I have just a few more step and so I can do my own things to myself.
I need true love……I need power to keep walking…….
Sometimes I feel ashamed of my situation ….sometime I crack and cry……or sometimes I just fight….you know, the eyes of the others can be destructive,
Their look….. I always dream of them. I’m always scared of that day….. He will never come …I know it…I fight till now, not to fall, not to die.
I Need A Change.”


When she finished she had tears all over her face, her look was fixed on a point in the river……she left and I couldn’t say a word.

Since that day, I never saw her again.
The End