Urban Story

    Caught up in the whirl of everyday life, I almost forgot to enjoy the beauty and simplicity of our existence. Thanks to an amazing story that I witnessed last week, I remembered how beautiful our life really is, how innocent and pure our feelings would be if we remained children forever.

   One afternoon, while on the subway, reading something and simply waiting to get to my destination, a very nice thing happened right before my eyes. Sitting on the chairs in front of me, there were a boy, of about 5 years old and his mother, maybe coming back home from the park or playground. The boy was very talkative, cheerful and seemed to be very creative, as he was continuously telling stories or asking his mother different things. Nothing surprising until the next station, when a very pretty little girl got into the subway, and, elegantly, sat on a chair near the boy. The 4 year-old girl looked exactly like a modern-day princess, as she was wearing a puffed-white tulle skirt, a pink T-shirt and silvery flats. Her hair had the colour of wheat in the rays of the summer sun, shoulder-long and with a French haircut, making her look like a beautiful angel just coming down from the sky.

   Accompanied by her father, the girl looked fragile, yet the glitter in her eyes was a proof of determination and intelligence. After sitting, she took her father’s phone and started playing. All this time, the boy noticed the girl, looked at her insistently and stopped talking, as if he was out of words. He kept gazing at her, somehow wanted to say something to her, but the distance between them prevented him from doing that (the girl’s father sat next to him). In a complete state of nervousness, not knowing what to do and say, the boy looked around, to his mother, to the adult next to him, then to the girl again, when …. the ‘impossible’ occured: the girl left the phone behind, looked back at him, and, barely articulating, he asked her if she wanted to be her friend (wow, it was such an innocent moment that I had the impression I was reading the best book ever written!). I really appreciated the boy’s courage and I guess all the other people witnessing the scene felt the same. I could sense all the strength in his frail body gathered in those words: ‘Will you want to be my friend?’

    Having heard the boy’s words, the father decided to switch seats with his daughter and … here they were sitting close to each other, two nice children experiencing adult emotions, looking so pure and serious at the same time. Acting as confident as he could, the boy regained his voice and started asking her different things: if she went to the kindergarden or not, what she liked doing there, etc. Not eager to waste any moment with the girl, he was talking and talking, at times boasting himself by saying that he was 5 years old and would go to school next autumn. The little princess answered, smiled politely, also paying attention to arrange her puffed skirt from time to time. It was only a matter of 10-15 minutes, but I am sure it was even a shorter period of time for those involved.

   As much as I enjoyed the scene taking place right there, before my eyes, the moment to get off the subway arrived. While standing up, I observed that the girl and her father were also preparing to get off, therefore I could witness the moment of their goodbye. From a small bag, the boy took out a pencil, with a big number 5 on top and gave it to the girl. Reluctant at the beginning, she didn’t want to accept the gift, yet her father assured her it was all right, therefore she eventually took it. The very next moment, the girl waved goodbye and that was all… As the subway train was leaving the station, I could see the boy’s face staring at the window and his mother trying to say something to him…

  Long after I arrived at my destination, I was still thinking about the two lovely heroes of my urban story. I could not stop wondering what would happen if they ever met again, and if their meeting was by chance or was meant to happen. One thing I know, they really made my day, brought a little bit of sun into my heart and showed me that we should never lose our innocence…

  Express your feelings and cherish love, friendship, purity as they are the essence of life!