Category: flora and fauna

part 1 ❤️

It was in the old wreck of a house on Railroad Hill when I first fell in love.
He was just right for me. He was 9 and I was 8. I have no idea where
he came from. One day he just appeared in the hallway. It was the 2nd floor.
The hallways in that old tennament were always dark and big had winding stairs
and were scary.

I entered the dark hallway and heard a magical voice. It came from out of
nowhere. I followed the voice to see the boy. He was singing arias songs in Italian. He sang his heart out and it echoed and carried in the hall. He sang one aria after another. He was kind of chubby and he had a big tuft of black hair. When he sang, it sent chills down my spine.

I fell in love and that was it. No other way to say it. He looked at me and nodded and
continued to sing. His arms were outstretched as he hit the high notes. It was as though he was appearing live in a big music hall. I’d say, even being so young, in my great
wisdom, I knew he was headed for stardom.

He didn’t speak much English but I understood enough Italian that his family just moved here. He spent his days checking out different the buildings to see how the accoustics were, and which one was his favorite. He told me he liked the hallways in these old brick buildings.

My imagination ran away and took the keys with it. I saw newspaper headlines in
my young head…Young French girl finds famous Italian singer and they tour the world together. We would tour all the great opera houses in Italy. I imagined they would be
decorated with gold statues, velvet curtains, and curly fancy furniture. We would enjoy our days on the gondolas of Venice, and lunch at lovely cafes.

Our lives would be full of travel and fame. I would wear long dresses and little tierras. His costumes would be fancy trousers and colorful embroidered shirts. He would wear big ties and shiny high boots. It had to be true. Why else could this meeting in a dark hallway make sense.
part 2 😍😭
I am sorry to report that none of these dreams came true. In the end there were only a
few hallway meetings. Sigh. One day he was just gone. I cried inside for a long time.

I am by nature a positive person so even though it was sad at the time, I vowed to make the best of it. There is another world outside of the dark, cold, brick buildings and abandoned factories with busted windows. Real love and a full life can appear out of nowhere. Miracles can happen. There are places and people that pop up from out of nowhere. They meet when and where they least expect it. Someone has a wand to make things happen. It’s as though the globe spins constantly and it meets itself around the corner where it started and then starts all over again. Each time something new and amazing happens. I will never forget the Boy Opera Star whose name I never knew.