The Cathedral Thief
Of Memories, Old Feelings and New Beginnings
The more time passed, the more everything that had happened during the summer that had followed my installation in Paris seemed to fade into a distant memory. Time, as usual, did its work well. Whenever I had a moment to think about those first few months, I only remembered the good things. I remembered the novelty, I remembered the beautiful buildings that I had discovered for the first time, I remembered my friendship with Damien, and I hardly ever thought about the events that had brought that friendship to its end. With the distance, it became hard to remember what had initially scared me so much. It seemed trivial, unimportant. The worries of a child, but I was not a child anymore. I was a woman now, and as I thought about everything that had occurred, it seemed to me that I had reacted hastily, without thinking much.
We still lived in our small apartment, and because of that, I still met Damien very often. I saw him on the stairs, in the street, in the courtyard when the sun was shining. I had tried to avoid him at first, but quickly discovered that it was impossible. So I changed my attitude to a civil one. Still, it was nothing like the friendship that we had had in the beginning. That friendship was the thing that I missed the most about those first few months in Paris. Damien had been the first friend I had made in Paris, and to this date he remained the truest. I could not share the things that I had shared with him with anyone else. He was the first person who had treated me like an adult, but unlike the other adults around me, he didn’t call my dreams stupid or unattainable. I often thought about it during my long hours of work, or when I heard the other girls talk about their tiny, unimpressive dreams and hopes.
I don’t know if it was because time had passed and that I could no longer remember why I had been so scared of what was happening, or because I missed Damien so damn much, but one day, instead of ignoring him on my way to work, I stopped and greeted him.
Damien was sitting in the courtyard with his usual paper and pencil, and without thinking about it much, I looked over his shoulder at what he was doing.
“Is that a real place?” I asked, amazed by what I saw on the paper. “I’ve never seen a church like that around here.”
Damien turned his head. Maybe he was surprised to see me talk to him again, but he didn’t say it out loud. He just smiled at me, and I remembered instantly why I loved him so much. It wasn’t just that he had been the best friend that I had had. When Damien smiled at you with such genuine affection you couldn’t help but feel that you were the most important person that had ever existed.
“Hello, Sophie,” he said. “How are you today?” He didn’t talk about the fact that this was the first time in weeks that I showed interest in what he was doing. He didn’t ask me why I had avoided him. Damien just accepted me back in his life as if nothing had happened.
“This is stunning,” I said, observing the drawing. “You have such talent. Where is this church? It looks somewhat familiar, but I don’t remember where it could be. I’d love to visit it. It’s the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.”
Damien smiled. “This one’s not real, I’m afraid,” he said.
“You’ve invented it?” I was amazed. “It looks so real.”
“It’s a little personal project,” he explained. “I’ve been trying to create the perfect cathedral.”
“Well, you’ve succeeded.”
“You think so?”
“Definitely. It’s stunning. I’m almost sad that I’ll never get to visit it. If only it were real and I could see more of it.”
Damien seemed incredibly happy to hear me say that. “You’re the best, Sophie. It really means a lot to me that you like it. This is not my only drawing of my cathedral. I’ve got at least a dozen views of it. I can show you if you want.”
I bit my lips. “I would love to, Damien. But I really have to go to work, I’m sorry.”
Damien nodded understandingly. “Of course. Well, if you ever want to see more, you know where to find me. I’ll be more than happy to show you.”
I left with a smile. The perspective of spending some time with Damien again made me feel all warm inside, and my day seemed to have improved just because of that.
We still lived in our small apartment, and because of that, I still met Damien very often. I saw him on the stairs, in the street, in the courtyard when the sun was shining. I had tried to avoid him at first, but quickly discovered that it was impossible. So I changed my attitude to a civil one. Still, it was nothing like the friendship that we had had in the beginning. That friendship was the thing that I missed the most about those first few months in Paris. Damien had been the first friend I had made in Paris, and to this date he remained the truest. I could not share the things that I had shared with him with anyone else. He was the first person who had treated me like an adult, but unlike the other adults around me, he didn’t call my dreams stupid or unattainable. I often thought about it during my long hours of work, or when I heard the other girls talk about their tiny, unimpressive dreams and hopes.
I don’t know if it was because time had passed and that I could no longer remember why I had been so scared of what was happening, or because I missed Damien so damn much, but one day, instead of ignoring him on my way to work, I stopped and greeted him.
Damien was sitting in the courtyard with his usual paper and pencil, and without thinking about it much, I looked over his shoulder at what he was doing.
“Is that a real place?” I asked, amazed by what I saw on the paper. “I’ve never seen a church like that around here.”
Damien turned his head. Maybe he was surprised to see me talk to him again, but he didn’t say it out loud. He just smiled at me, and I remembered instantly why I loved him so much. It wasn’t just that he had been the best friend that I had had. When Damien smiled at you with such genuine affection you couldn’t help but feel that you were the most important person that had ever existed.
“Hello, Sophie,” he said. “How are you today?” He didn’t talk about the fact that this was the first time in weeks that I showed interest in what he was doing. He didn’t ask me why I had avoided him. Damien just accepted me back in his life as if nothing had happened.
“This is stunning,” I said, observing the drawing. “You have such talent. Where is this church? It looks somewhat familiar, but I don’t remember where it could be. I’d love to visit it. It’s the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.”
Damien smiled. “This one’s not real, I’m afraid,” he said.
“You’ve invented it?” I was amazed. “It looks so real.”
“It’s a little personal project,” he explained. “I’ve been trying to create the perfect cathedral.”
“Well, you’ve succeeded.”
“You think so?”
“Definitely. It’s stunning. I’m almost sad that I’ll never get to visit it. If only it were real and I could see more of it.”
Damien seemed incredibly happy to hear me say that. “You’re the best, Sophie. It really means a lot to me that you like it. This is not my only drawing of my cathedral. I’ve got at least a dozen views of it. I can show you if you want.”
I bit my lips. “I would love to, Damien. But I really have to go to work, I’m sorry.”
Damien nodded understandingly. “Of course. Well, if you ever want to see more, you know where to find me. I’ll be more than happy to show you.”
I left with a smile. The perspective of spending some time with Damien again made me feel all warm inside, and my day seemed to have improved just because of that.