At the bus stop. People waiting. Papers swirling in the air. Yellow petals raining from the Kassod tree tree. The morning subtle perfume lingered in the air.
Warm days...Shiny days...rainy days...
There she was. Sitting on the bench, like a classic marble statue,
Her face was so perfect and beautiful.
I was just a kid, with my nun school uniform and my school bag...
A curious kid ...
Her beauty stricken me. I remember smiling at her and her lips smiling back at me.
Not her eyes ...no! No, never her eyes...
There was an emptiness in them. Like two black holes...
Her eyes did not simile at all...They were carved on marble. Silent...Staring...but not alive!
I remember feeling sad for her...
Sometimes, I felt like hugging her...
She seemed to care for me...
I had a feeling, I couldn't explain...
Sometimes, I managed to sit next to her. But we never spoke to each other.
One day, she did not come to the bus stop...One week...One month...The years passed...
I grew up... I become a woman too. A married lady with kids...
I moved to another continent…I become a grandma...
I joined a Facebook group from my birth town.
Browsing through the pictures ... My eyes froze...There she was! The marble lady...
The picture showed the same perfect face from long ago.
The same sad and empty marble eyes...I could not contain myself. Shyly, I commented on her posted picture.“ It is nice to see you. I know you from the bus stop. We used to share the same bus route. Hugs”
To my surprise, she replied privately on messenger;
" I loved your comment on my picture, thank you. I know you. You and your sister were the little princesses. I was a good friend of your mother. She was so full of life.
Such a merry and funny girl. She was too young to die...
I rushed to the hospital and gave her blood. It was already too late…
Those were tough times for women...Many women went the same way.
She was not supposed to die. She had two beautiful girls...
You were 3 and 4 years old...so innocent...so little. Your father loved her dearly... Both of them were two eternal lovers...
I should have died instead. My husband treated me badly. He kept telling me he loved me, but he was jealous of my beauty. He abused me for years. He is now gone, but my youth is gone too...
I never forgot your mom, and I never forgot the little princesses...It was how your mom referred to you two when talking with me.
Every time I looked at you when you were little... and even now… Oh! Seeing your pictures...I couldn’t and I still can't control the tears in my eyes. I see your mom in you... so happy...so funny... so full of life! At least you are living and well. Be merry like she always was! Keep in touch. Big Hug. Josefa "
My heart raced in sorrow and surprise reading her words. The marble lady had now a name. Her eyes were not made of stone. They cried.
Finally, I met her … and I still would like to hug her.
Virginia Sousa
March 2009/ revised in Feb 2024
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