Self-portrait of a bookshop
I can get a hint of what is going on through the white curtain. The glass of the store window vibrates whenever someone opens or closes the door of the little shop. Voices, conversations covered by gentle music, softs “thank you’s”, and then the bell ringing when the clients leave. Nothing for a while. It is a slow Sunday afternoon, and the days are getting shorter and colder way faster than I ever thought they would before moving to this country. The bell rings again, and someone gets in. From my position, I cannot see them locking eyes, the clients walking around the store, but I can feel their gazes seeking each other. The pace of their steps is telling a story. Second. No. Third date. They haven’t slept together yet. But her hands cannot keep off him for longer, I sense she’s grabbing that thick book with a yellow cover as a strategy to stop herself from running to his arms. A couple of cockroaches are sipping tea in the front cover. She stares at him. Smiles at him. I cannot s