The city of light

    The leaves falling brought to my memory our days in Benevento, when the street were full of merchants and the trees had that beautiful orange-yellow tone that characterize this season of the year. I was there and I can´t believe it, it has been a long time, years I must say. The cool wind was pretty nice — taking in count that is autumn, I´m not surprised by this kind of breeze— but what amazed me the most is to see the tower upon my eyes. The shining path of the park looked like it was allowing you to come and have a moment to feel the wind, sit on an old but well-cared bench and just take her hand for a while — and, I´m not going to lie, that´s what I did—.

    Meanwhile, I can see her foot drumming that sweet tango song that we wished to dance so many years ago. The song was playing on the radio, in the coffee shop just beside the park: “por una cabeza, si ella me olvida”, the singer was finally home — not many people know that Carlos Gardel was born in France, even when he lived almost all his life in Argentina—  or at least his voice was. I took her to the middle of the park and started to guide her — I didn´t care about our shoes, and judging for her big smile, she didn´t, either— step by step I was listening to her sing in low voice the song while I was looking at her eyes, her lips stopped singing and said something that I couldn´t understand but the song stopped and our feet with it.  

She was so excited for the place, that she took me and pulled me — I can´t believe the strength that this woman has when she wants to see something— to the coffee shop.

    “Do you want something?” I asked her, and she with a beautiful and big smile pointed to a croissant on the dark wood table. We bought two croissants and two hot teas for the cold because it was already 9 pm, but even though the hour, she was calmed — this is not Venezuela, Paris doesn´t bite like Caracas.

    We walked to the Eiffel tower; I saw her face and noticed that she had a little piece of croissant left on her face. “You are a mess” told her with a smile while I was passing a little napkin around her lips, and she with a cute face passed her finger in my chin showing me a little piece of spinach “you too, don’t judge”. Before we could know, we were in front of tower. Her eyes started to shine of happiness — call me a crazy, but she was the best view over there — and started jumping saying “we are here, we are here, we are here, oh my god I can´t believe it, we are here” — and you didn´t believe it while we were on the airplane?—. I started jumping with her, we were like two kids in a candy store —except that there were no candies and the store was a huge iron-made tower, funny huh?—.

     We went up to the highest floor of the tower, it was 11 pm at that moment and the wind was trying to freeze my fingers. I saw her rubbing her hands, so I took off my jacket and put it in her shoulders; then took her hands and started breathing on them trying to warm them up. She just stayed looking at me and again said something with her lips that I couldn´t understand.

     After a while watching the view that “the city of light” gifted us, we decided to go back to the hotel, it was a long day and the only thought in my mind was sleeping with her and wake up to see the Mona Lisa tomorrow — maybe I should take the chance to buy some presents in the museum to our friends. We walked back to the thirteenth district, place d´italie; walking slowly, enjoying every second — but my eyes were focus in her happy face; I’ve always loved to see her so happy. She grabbed my arm and pressed it —constricted it in fact; I don’t know how I can write with this arm right now— looking at a big wine store just at the corner of the street. “Let me guess, you are not leaving without at least 3 bottles, right?”

     “Four bottles, it’s better when is a pair number” answered me with a big smile ear to ear — she knows that I can’t resist that smile, that’s cheating. Even though she knows she can’t resist the alcohol, she likes to drink a cup of wine once in a while. I drink with her just for make sure that she doesn’t end up in the middle of the street singing about a grumpy unicorn; but the main reason is because I love to see her enjoy every sip.

     We arrived to the hotel both tired but happy. She fell in the bed like a log, with a big smile on her face while I was looking for some sheets; I cover her with the sheet and gave her a kiss in the forehead. “It has been a long day, huh? Good nights, sweet dreams” I turned off the light and lay down beside her. I closed my eyes, but she putted her hand in my face and said “merci”. Those were the words that I couldn´t understand before, but I was so happy that I didn´t talk, just said “thank you” and closed my eyes slowly.