FAYA CHIDEKH

The Sound of the Boomerang

Once again, the same phrase reached my ears.

"How excessive you are!" Caroline exclaimed as we entered the dimly lit living room.

Caroline had been my partner for two years, and this was the first time I'd ever seen her so irritable and nervous. Usually so calm and composed, she sat down in the most uncomfortable chair in the room and absently fiddled with her watch. All evening at the restaurant, she had teased me, goaded me, provoked me as if she were looking for an argument.

I knelt before her, close, very close. I looked into her eyes, intently, trying to calm her. My hands rested on her knees, and I felt an intense heat in my palms.

"What are you doing?" she said to me, her eyes downcast and her breath short.

I remained in the same position, motionless and silent.

"You know you have a very special look, Feema. Just like your name, actually. When you look at me like that, I can't take my eyes off you. I'm even afraid that if I blink, you'll fly away!"

I smiled slightly while Caroline frowned, still gazing into my eyes. I stood up abruptly, shook the dust off my knees, and settled comfortably on the chocolate-colored sofa opposite the large bay window overlooking the garden.

— Speak to me, please! Caroline's request had something vital, essential about it.

"Whether I speak or not, it's the same thing, it won't change anything," I replied.

“No, it’s not true!” cried Caroline, as a dog barked nearby. The overlapping of the two “voices” was sublime and perfectly synchronized. This blend captivated my attention, and I almost forgot the solemnity of the moment.

— When you talk to me, I feel like I'm the most important person in the world and that you're there for me, only for me. You know what I mean?

The beauty of her voice alone immediately brought me back to the center of the living room.

— And at the same time, what surprises me most about you is the quality of your silence. Or rather, I should say the purity of your breath and your presence. Beside you, my breath deepens, my hands loosen, and my chest expands. I feel like smiling all the time.

I had kept my eyes closed throughout her entire tirade, and just as I turned my head to look at her, she asked me:

— What are you thinking about?

Without thinking for a second, I replied in a warm and very soft voice:

-Je trouve très douloureux d’être à côté de la personne que l’on aime le plus au monde et de se sentir aussi seule.

Caroline collapsed and immediately began to cry her eyes out.