La Ville Rose
A short true love story
It has been 30 long years since Gabriel left the land where he was born and lived until he was 17 years old. Gabriel spent his entire youth in the city called“La Ville Rose”, in southern France. It was in La Ville Rose that he drank his first beer, that he smoked his first cigarette, and that his first kiss took place. All of his friends were there.
His roots, although of Portuguese nationality and descendants, belonged to that city that won his heart forever. Everyone knows that anyone who knows La Ville Rose is forever surrendered to its charms. He went through his entire school career, learned to speak, and read, and grew up healthy and happy. But one day everything changed.
It was a hot day, over 40 degrees Celsius. Gabriel was now 18 years old. He had been living with his parents in southern Portugal for almost a year, in a region called the Algarve, a name that originated from the Arabic expression “Algarbe” which means “the west”.
His life was behind him, his school, his friends, and his way of life, everything he had known so far. Nothing else made sense. Although the heat, the beach, the sun, and the Portuguese hospitality were a very good and pleasant thing, this was not enough. Another day at the beach like any other in August. Everything seemed to be going for the best. He needed to take advantage of what he had because now there was nothing to do.
Taxi, taxi, a hand waved energetically, the day was to make the most of, getting up at 07:00 am had to be worth it. Once inside the taxi, Sophie took a book out of her beach bag that was wrapped in the middle of a blue towel with a dolphin, body lotion, and a few more trinkets. It was already past 08:00 hours when Sophie finally arrived at the beach “Praia Dos Pescadores” in Albufeira.
It’s not a huge beach, but it’s very busy and very beautiful. The girl had some difficulty finding a place to put her towel, but she eventually managed it. Now it’s just a matter of calmly sunbathing in the very hot sun while she finishes reading her book and waits a while until the water heats up to go swimming in the sea.
Sophie is a 17-year-old French girl, with slender, shoulder-length hair, between brown and blonde, has light brown eyes moving towards green, about 1.70 meters. Her skin is white as ivory and very sensitive to the sun. For her age,
Sophie is a very mature and responsible girl, intelligent, with a great sense of humour, but more than anything she is a dreamer, an incurable romantic, who, despite having already had some romantic disappointments, never stopped believing in love. Only child, of an older couple, who grew up in a big city and had to know how to cope on her own and who is not afraid to resolve any situation, even the most complicated ones.
The sea was a little rough, but nothing dangerous. Sophie approached the person responsible for renting the Jet Ski and asked how much she had to pay for half an hour. As he turned, Gabriel’s eyes met Sophie’s. She blushed, and he was flustered, as if he had never spoken to a girl. Gabriel is not a shy boy nor does he have the habit of avoiding the female sex, but what had just happened was the first time.
It was as if he had been caught by a train. A lightning bolt fell on him, that creature that approached him could not be from this world. She is an angel, for sure. Incredulous and not knowing what to say or do, Gabriel looked again at Sophie, who had already regained her colour, although she was still uncomfortable with the whole situation. And replied that half an hour was 25 euros, he also asked her if it was the first time she was going to ride the Jet Ski and if she knew how to ride. Sophie had never tried it and ended up giving up on the idea. With nothing more to say, they both went into her life.
The hours passed. Sometimes, Gabriel turned to look in Sophie’s direction, just to see if she was still there. Finally, it was time to finish the workday. Now he was free. He took a deep breath, approached her, and without delay, asked her to sit beside him. She nodded yes. They spent the rest of the day getting to know each other.
Gabriel was very happy to learn that she was on holiday and was coming from his hometown, La Ville Rose. It was a little bizarre that the two of them were from the same place and that they knew each other a thousand miles apart. At the end of the day, they exchanged phone numbers, and they walked away, each to their own home.
The night was already long, and Gabriel couldn’t sleep. He just thought about her. It was exhausting, and he was not very patient. He picked up the phone and without hesitation called her, “I think I love you, as I’ve never loved anyone!” Will she think he’s crazy? Will it respond to such a direct and sudden statement? In the silence of his room, the anxiety was noticeable.
She replied, yes, but an answer he didn’t expect, “I love you too, really. I don’t even know how that’s possible. I’ve always believed in love, but not at first sight. I don’t think I know how to live without you any more”. So is it true that this is even possible? What mattered was that they were in perfect harmony. Both slept, each one in their room, but they didn’t feel alone. Peace and sleep finally arrived.
It was the best holiday of their lives. The summer was fantastic. They spent all the time with each other. He left his summer job so he could be with her. They dined out many times, went to the cinema, and went to the beach every day. He bought her little jewels. The moon witnessed their love. They lived in what seemed to be the life they would have forever until they were very, very old. But the holidays were drawing to a close, and the inevitable would happen. Between vows of love and tears, they said goodbye to each other. She got into her parents’ car and disappeared over the horizon. None of them would ever forget that tragic day.
Now almost 20 years old, Gabriel works as a cashier in a store. He has friends and had a few girlfriends too, but not a single day has gone by that he hasn’t thought about her. They had lost contact with each other. He had moved to another house and as a result, the phone number had changed too. This place was not for him. The decision is taken; he is finally going home, see his old friends, go back to his old habits, and maybe find Sophie again. After talking to his parents, he leaves his cashier job, organizes the trip, and buys the much-desired bus ticket.
The city was different. Everything looked the same, but there was something that made him uneasy. After renting a cheap room, he unpacked his bags and picked up the newspaper to look at the job ads. Nothing interesting for now. He’ll eat something fast and get ready to leave. He’s looking forward to getting back to his old neighbourhood. Seeing his best friends after so long is going to be weird. Gabriel stared at his old building with nostalgia as he headed for the flat opposite where his best friend, Paul, lived.
His hand was trembling as he rang the bell. There was a small sound of a turning key, and the door opened. He was surprised. He knew Paul’s parents very well, and that woman was certainly not his mother. She was a tall woman of African origin. Gabriel makes sure he hasn’t made a mistake at the door and asks about his friend. The woman informs him she has lived there for about a year and that she does not know the whereabouts of the former residents.
Disappointment takes over Gabriel. It wasn’t fair. He would never see Paul again. Maybe Karim knew something about Paul. Karim was also a great childhood friend. They had grown up together, and since primary school, they had known each other. Another disappointment, Karim still lived in the same house, but now he was married and had a son. He talked to Gabriel but showed no interest in seeing him again. Nothing was happening, as Gabriel had thought. Well, at least he’s home.
A week went by without him having found work. Possibly it was time to look for Sophie. The information he had about her was very little. He didn’t know her family name or the street where she lived, but he knew which neighbourhood her house was in, and he also knew that her father was a judge. There shouldn’t be that many judges in a single neighbourhood!
THE END
