I Remember - 6

 

I remember my two friends and me in the rented moving van that was taking us to Brittany…

*

I remember the thunderstorm that battered the van's body, the wild sweep of the windshield wipers, and the sign: "Welcome to the Morbihan department" that made us laugh…

*

I remember the creperie where we went to eat, our night at the hotel, and then the gargantuan breakfast… We savored those last moments of friendship together…

*

I remember their departure, leaving me alone in terra incognita… and the hailstorm on the skylight that greeted my arrival in Brittany that same evening.

*

I remember this new life beginning, the boxes I was opening, the apartment I was decorating, my new workplace, the colleagues I was meeting, the city of Lorient I was exploring, my walks on the beach to the cries of seagulls and the sound of enormous waves crashing against the rocks…

*

I remember the tears that suddenly flowed everywhere without me wanting them to…

*

I remember my efforts to banish you from my thoughts… the books I devoured, the growing pleasure I took in painting, playing the guitar, learning more about my work, and planning walks to discover this land of painters and its history…

*

I remember my bus rides... the Brittany landscapes I couldn't take my eyes off... the churches, houses, beaches, ports, boat graveyards, granite crosses at intersections...

*

I remember the rain that always made me think of you...