At the Bus Stop

His name was Luc and hers, Nina.

They had met by the side of the road… at seventeen, during a summer between two storms; they laughed loudly, talked for a long time, and dreamed without fear. Nina wrote poems and Luc wanted to "succeed." So he left to attend a prestigious school and promised to return. But he did not return. He was too busy winning and seducing, then he forgot—at least, that is what he believed.

Many years later, while on a business trip, he caught sight of a familiar silhouette waiting for the bus: red scarf, same gaze. He hesitated, approached, and was recognized. They talked for a while; she said to him, "I still write. And you, are you living?" He smiled, a bit stiffly. She checked her watch and got on the bus. Before the doors closed, she added, "You know, Luc… You promised me you would come back to me. But it is to yourself that you never returned." And the bus pulled away. Luc remained motionless, his heart heavy as a shoulder bag.

That same evening, in his hotel room, he took an old notebook out of a drawer containing the only poem he had kept from her. And suddenly, in the silence, a soft voice whispered, "What you have lost… is not her, but who you were when you were with her."