Ahí va mi "short story" con la que gané el primer premio en la feria del libro de la EOI de Alcalá!
Ménilmontant, Paris, 13 th of august 2000
***
When she arrived in front of the door, she put her finger on the doorbell, stood still for a moment and didn’t press it at first. She remembered the day she came with Marie, a year before. She couldn’t have done anything without her, she was so scared that she couldn’t move or react, she seemed to be paralyzed... But nobody answered the doorbell that day. That time Marie had refused to come with her, she just said it was her business and she had to manage it alone. She was right, that was her problem and she had to face it and solve it on her own. She had seen her name on the mailbox again, which proved she was still living here.
She looked down and saw the package in her left hand, suddenly she felt ridiculous... How could she pretend to be a “greenmail” delivery girl? Nobody would believe it! They would recognized her for sure! No, it was impossible! How could they identify her after more than twenty years! So, why did she need to hide behind this stupid disguise? Because she didn’t want to explain anything! She didn’t want to take any chances! She just needed to have a look, to check what she was like... After this first contact she would decide what to do... She just needed to know... To know what? Was that the answer she really needed? Could that change something in her life at this stage? She had better to go back home and go on with her life! No, that wasn’t fair. She had been waiting for this moment for ages! She had been looking for her since she was sixteen... It was stronger than any reasoning. She had to do it now, if not she would come back until she was able to do it...
A sixty-year-old man opened the door. She was sure it was Ali, he looked like she had always imagined him: thick white hair, brown skin and deep lines on his forehead and around his mouth. She felt an ice cold sensation in her back and couldn’t say anything. Then the man murmured surprisingly: “What’s the matter?”. She felt paralysed again. That wasn’t really the situation she expected. She should have made allowances for that. She stepped back and then pushed the package rudely towards him: “It’s a package for Michelle Carvallo from greenmail”. He took it doubtfully and looked at it carefully. After a moment he said: “She doesn’t live here anymore”, he gave her the package back and slammed the door in her face.
She was disappointed and hopeless. All her efforts had been in vain. Now she had come to a dead end. She looked miserable as she walked off. She couldn’t feel relieved or get it off her mind.
**
When he opened the door, Ali saw a tall twenty-five-year-old woman, long black hair and white skin. He waited for her to say something but she looked like a statue and then he decided to ask: “What’s the matter?”. When she gave him the package and exclaimed it was for Michelle, he saw that her arm was shaking nervously. He looked at the package quietly and slowly. He couldn’t believe that someone had sent it to Michelle. She had no family and no friends, he was the only person in his life. He couldn’t see the name of the sender and that seemed suspicious to him. He had already received urgent letters from “Greenmail” and he knew it was a crude imitation. He gave her the package back and just said that she didn’t live there anymore before closing the door quickly. Who the hell was this woman? What was she after? Why did she try to mislead him? Suddenly his expression changed and he had a look of surprise and fear. She might be... Was it possible? No, she wasn’t! That happened more than twenty years ago! Well, he knew that one day she could look for her and find out where they lived but... he couldn’t let her bring trouble into their lives anymore... The sound of a door opening brought him back to reality. Michelle appeared through the bedroom door with sleepy eyes and asked:
- “Who was it?”
– “Someone with the wrong adress, don’t worry” he answered.
*
When the bell rang she was having a rest. She was so tired since she had been working nights. She heard a woman’s voice and supposed she was saying her name through the door. She closed her eyes for a moment and heard the door closing right away. She sat up on one side of the bed and had a look through the window. A tall woman with long black hair was walking away from the building. She couldn’t see her face but she guessed she was quite young. She thought that her daughter might be like that by now. She stood up, opened the door and asked Ali who it was. He answered thoughtfully that it was someone with the wrong adress and she knew he was lying. She went back in the room as she knew it was better for her not to say anything. Why was he lying? What was he trying to hide? Who was this woman? Ali had always behaved this way, he made decisions for both of them and she had never complained about it. It was easier to let someone do it for you... but... now, after more than twenty years she wasn’t sure the decisions Ali had made for her and for her daughter had been the best. She was so weak and so lonely when she met him that she thought he had given her a new life. Now she knew he had only separated her from her daughter and that wasn’t the life she wanted. Perhaps it was time for her to give up this life and make her own decisions even if she couldn’t change the past, she could make her future less shameful...
***
When she arrived in front of the door, she put her finger on the doorbell, stood still for a moment and didn’t press it at first. She remembered the day she came with Marie, a year before. She couldn’t have done anything without her, she was so scared that she couldn’t move or react, she seemed to be paralyzed... But nobody answered the doorbell that day. That time Marie had refused to come with her, she just said it was her business and she had to manage it alone. She was right, that was her problem and she had to face it and solve it on her own. She had seen her name on the mailbox again, which proved she was still living here.
She looked down and saw the package in her left hand, suddenly she felt ridiculous... How could she pretend to be a “greenmail” delivery girl? Nobody would believe it! They would recognized her for sure! No, it was impossible! How could they identify her after more than twenty years! So, why did she need to hide behind this stupid disguise? Because she didn’t want to explain anything! She didn’t want to take any chances! She just needed to have a look, to check what she was like... After this first contact she would decide what to do... She just needed to know... To know what? Was that the answer she really needed? Could that change something in her life at this stage? She had better to go back home and go on with her life! No, that wasn’t fair. She had been waiting for this moment for ages! She had been looking for her since she was sixteen... It was stronger than any reasoning. She had to do it now, if not she would come back until she was able to do it...
A sixty-year-old man opened the door. She was sure it was Ali, he looked like she had always imagined him: thick white hair, brown skin and deep lines on his forehead and around his mouth. She felt an ice cold sensation in her back and couldn’t say anything. Then the man murmured surprisingly: “What’s the matter?”. She felt paralysed again. That wasn’t really the situation she expected. She should have made allowances for that. She stepped back and then pushed the package rudely towards him: “It’s a package for Michelle Carvallo from greenmail”. He took it doubtfully and looked at it carefully. After a moment he said: “She doesn’t live here anymore”, he gave her the package back and slammed the door in her face.
She was disappointed and hopeless. All her efforts had been in vain. Now she had come to a dead end. She looked miserable as she walked off. She couldn’t feel relieved or get it off her mind.
**
When he opened the door, Ali saw a tall twenty-five-year-old woman, long black hair and white skin. He waited for her to say something but she looked like a statue and then he decided to ask: “What’s the matter?”. When she gave him the package and exclaimed it was for Michelle, he saw that her arm was shaking nervously. He looked at the package quietly and slowly. He couldn’t believe that someone had sent it to Michelle. She had no family and no friends, he was the only person in his life. He couldn’t see the name of the sender and that seemed suspicious to him. He had already received urgent letters from “Greenmail” and he knew it was a crude imitation. He gave her the package back and just said that she didn’t live there anymore before closing the door quickly. Who the hell was this woman? What was she after? Why did she try to mislead him? Suddenly his expression changed and he had a look of surprise and fear. She might be... Was it possible? No, she wasn’t! That happened more than twenty years ago! Well, he knew that one day she could look for her and find out where they lived but... he couldn’t let her bring trouble into their lives anymore... The sound of a door opening brought him back to reality. Michelle appeared through the bedroom door with sleepy eyes and asked:
- “Who was it?”
– “Someone with the wrong adress, don’t worry” he answered.
*
When the bell rang she was having a rest. She was so tired since she had been working nights. She heard a woman’s voice and supposed she was saying her name through the door. She closed her eyes for a moment and heard the door closing right away. She sat up on one side of the bed and had a look through the window. A tall woman with long black hair was walking away from the building. She couldn’t see her face but she guessed she was quite young. She thought that her daughter might be like that by now. She stood up, opened the door and asked Ali who it was. He answered thoughtfully that it was someone with the wrong adress and she knew he was lying. She went back in the room as she knew it was better for her not to say anything. Why was he lying? What was he trying to hide? Who was this woman? Ali had always behaved this way, he made decisions for both of them and she had never complained about it. It was easier to let someone do it for you... but... now, after more than twenty years she wasn’t sure the decisions Ali had made for her and for her daughter had been the best. She was so weak and so lonely when she met him that she thought he had given her a new life. Now she knew he had only separated her from her daughter and that wasn’t the life she wanted. Perhaps it was time for her to give up this life and make her own decisions even if she couldn’t change the past, she could make her future less shameful...
