Walking Behind
I always enjoyed walking next to her. Especially summer time when her shiny dark hair hung in her face and she constantly moved the tresses back. The green of her eyes reflected the shading upon her dimples from that incessant exercise. I liked to look at her eyes, and often scolded her: “Do not walk behind me, love. Try to walk with me.”
There is something sweet when one learns to walk next to a girl. Or a woman. Or even a trusty dog. It is all in learning about each other. Anticipating the pace, reaction, and comfort of the other. A walk that does not focus your attention on the walk itself. Like dancers who dance the dance rather than dance with each other. A good walk shows intimacy. Confident people can walk together as if walking alone; they can tell a story without looking at each other; and such lucky people make love at noon, with the windows open.
I always enjoyed walking next to her. Our walks were not comfortable, as I focused on the walk. She had a pace that varied with the day, her mood, and the story she was about to tell. Her feet often went where they wanted, because it felt like a challenge to the norms of walking. Her shoulders were large, attractive, and at the height of my shoulders. Yet, they did not aim at moving in harmony with my shoulders. She walked alone, at her own pace, surrounded with people.
I also enjoyed dancing with her. I held her gently in my arms, to feel that frisson discovering bodies have. And the fear girls have when they are about walking. Especially if they are as anxious about dancing as they walk. Independently. Yet, in her blue dress, she was radiant. We danced without thinking about each other. We danced to show that she could dance. As well as any of her friends who knew how to walk next to someone else. Without cutting in front of them. Or lagging behind. We danced, because we both never cared about the norms of walking.
… Walking behind her was a strange feeling. I walked at a pace she hated. Going to a place she should not have gone. And all the way there, I kept on thinking “She should have been the one walking behind me!”
July 28, 2005
posted by Vahé @ 8:09 AM
