Louise/Louiza
They stood side by side wordlessly, while the other parents around them bantered casually amongst themselves. Little schoolchildren started streaming out, shrieking in delight. It was Wednesday, and Wednesday afternoons are free. They watched as the other children found their parents. Finally, they saw their daughter trudging behind some other kids. They waved to her. Her face lit up when she saw them and she ran over to them immediately.
"Hallo Papa, hallo Mama," she flung her arms around his legs, before repeating the same ritual for her mother.
"Hallo, darling. How was school? What did you learn today?" she asked, ruffling her daughter's hair.
"Today was boring!" she made a face.
"What about lunch, Louise? Are you hungry?" he asked.
"Yes!"
"What do you want to have for lunch?"
"Frites!"
He stole a sideways glance at her, before bending down to the little girl, "I am not sure if..."
"It's all right. Let's go for frites," she smiled.
"Yay!"
"There's a good one just around the corner, by the church," he told her.
"I was thinking of that one as well. La Friterie de la Place de la Chapelle."
The little girl had run off a little in front of them, but noticing that they hadn't moved, she ran back, grabbing their arms. "Hurry!"
"The frites' not going to run away, Louiza," she laughed as she let herself be dragged along by the little girl.
"3 portions," he ordered when it was finally their turn.
"Right. And what does the little Miss want for her sauce?" the fritkot man asked with a twinkle in his eye.
She contemplated a while, before announcing grandiousely, "Andalouse."
"Andalouse it shall be. And what about you?" he asked them.
"I will have Sate."
"And for me, Aioli," she said.
"So, here you go," the man said, handing the girl her portion, before handing her parents' to her mother. Her father handed over the money.
"Sweet little family," the man smiled as he received the money. "Enjoy."
Her parents smiled awkwardly and looked away as she skipped off to the bench that had just been vacated by two men in suits, no doubt returning to their nearby office.
"Have a nice day," he finally said to the man, and they followed their daughter.
They sat on either side of their daughter. She swung her legs as she munched on her frites, looking dreamily into space.
"What are you thinking about, Louiza?"she asked.
"Thinking about how nice if every day could be like this!"
"Oh," she looked away as she thought of something to say. "Well, you can't have frites every day for lunch. It's too unhealthy."
"Spending more time together with both Mama and Papa would be nice," she said matter-of-factly.
"How's the frites, Louise?" he asked.
"De-li-cious."
"Can I have a bit of your sauce? You can try mine as well."
The little girl nodded and held out her sauce container to her father, at the same time reaching for his with a frites.
"You want some of it?" he asked, holding the container to her.
She hesitated before dipping one of her frites into the container, and offered hers in exchange. Her daughter quickly dipped her frites into her mother's sauce and giggled, as though she had won some form of competition between father and daughter. He laughed, before taking up on the offer.
"So, what do you want to do now?" he asked, as they cleared the rubbish.
"Shall we go for a walk?" she asked.
The little girl nodded and held their hands again as they went for a walk. Neither parent spoke, as they allowed themselves be led by their daughter.
"Look!" she dropped their hands and ran forward.
They caught up with her. She was pointing through the doors, to the interior of the church. "A wedding."
A smile tugged at their lips, and briefly their eyes met, but they quickly turned away again.
"Yes, it is a big day for them, so let's not disturb them," she said, pushing her daughter along.
They soon came to a playground by the crossroads, and she stole a look at her mother, who nodded, before running off to join the other children.
"Time flies, huh?" he remarked casually as they sat down on a bench.
"Yeah... can't believe she's already 7. Running around, jumping around like that. She was this small," she held up her hands about 50 centimetres apart and put them down again, smiling, "And 8 years ago, we were the ones in that church."
"What happened to us?"
"Maybe we got tired along the way. We were young back then, unafraid of everything. Look at us, we are old and jaded now," she laughed, with a tinge of bitterness.
He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Is this the end for us?" she asked.
10 metres in front of them, their daughter was waving to them.
"Or maybe we can try and make it work."
"Hallo Papa, hallo Mama," she flung her arms around his legs, before repeating the same ritual for her mother.
"Hallo, darling. How was school? What did you learn today?" she asked, ruffling her daughter's hair.
"Today was boring!" she made a face.
"What about lunch, Louise? Are you hungry?" he asked.
"Yes!"
"What do you want to have for lunch?"
"Frites!"
He stole a sideways glance at her, before bending down to the little girl, "I am not sure if..."
"It's all right. Let's go for frites," she smiled.
"Yay!"
"There's a good one just around the corner, by the church," he told her.
"I was thinking of that one as well. La Friterie de la Place de la Chapelle."
The little girl had run off a little in front of them, but noticing that they hadn't moved, she ran back, grabbing their arms. "Hurry!"
"The frites' not going to run away, Louiza," she laughed as she let herself be dragged along by the little girl.
"3 portions," he ordered when it was finally their turn.
"Right. And what does the little Miss want for her sauce?" the fritkot man asked with a twinkle in his eye.
She contemplated a while, before announcing grandiousely, "Andalouse."
"Andalouse it shall be. And what about you?" he asked them.
"I will have Sate."
"And for me, Aioli," she said.
"So, here you go," the man said, handing the girl her portion, before handing her parents' to her mother. Her father handed over the money.
"Sweet little family," the man smiled as he received the money. "Enjoy."
Her parents smiled awkwardly and looked away as she skipped off to the bench that had just been vacated by two men in suits, no doubt returning to their nearby office.
"Have a nice day," he finally said to the man, and they followed their daughter.
They sat on either side of their daughter. She swung her legs as she munched on her frites, looking dreamily into space.
"What are you thinking about, Louiza?"she asked.
"Thinking about how nice if every day could be like this!"
"Oh," she looked away as she thought of something to say. "Well, you can't have frites every day for lunch. It's too unhealthy."
"Spending more time together with both Mama and Papa would be nice," she said matter-of-factly.
"How's the frites, Louise?" he asked.
"De-li-cious."
"Can I have a bit of your sauce? You can try mine as well."
The little girl nodded and held out her sauce container to her father, at the same time reaching for his with a frites.
"You want some of it?" he asked, holding the container to her.
She hesitated before dipping one of her frites into the container, and offered hers in exchange. Her daughter quickly dipped her frites into her mother's sauce and giggled, as though she had won some form of competition between father and daughter. He laughed, before taking up on the offer.
"So, what do you want to do now?" he asked, as they cleared the rubbish.
"Shall we go for a walk?" she asked.
The little girl nodded and held their hands again as they went for a walk. Neither parent spoke, as they allowed themselves be led by their daughter.
"Look!" she dropped their hands and ran forward.
They caught up with her. She was pointing through the doors, to the interior of the church. "A wedding."
A smile tugged at their lips, and briefly their eyes met, but they quickly turned away again.
"Yes, it is a big day for them, so let's not disturb them," she said, pushing her daughter along.
They soon came to a playground by the crossroads, and she stole a look at her mother, who nodded, before running off to join the other children.
"Time flies, huh?" he remarked casually as they sat down on a bench.
"Yeah... can't believe she's already 7. Running around, jumping around like that. She was this small," she held up her hands about 50 centimetres apart and put them down again, smiling, "And 8 years ago, we were the ones in that church."
"What happened to us?"
"Maybe we got tired along the way. We were young back then, unafraid of everything. Look at us, we are old and jaded now," she laughed, with a tinge of bitterness.
He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Is this the end for us?" she asked.
10 metres in front of them, their daughter was waving to them.
"Or maybe we can try and make it work."
1 Comments:
its over. cant work anymore
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