LA SEMAINE PROCHAINE
I want to end October 2024 on a hopeful note before the U.S. election next week.
So "picture this"-- as one of the Golden Girls used to say: Ibrahim's Shawarma Place, October 30th 2024, it's a beautiful Fall day:
I walk into my favourite shawarma place.
There's a new woman behind the counter cooking.
Arabic's her first language, English is mine.
We're trying to have a conversation with each other.
We're not having much luck with words, but we're smiling. I learn she is from Algiers and speaks French. To my surprise I start speaking to her in French-- I thought I'd forgotten all my French.
Who thought an Arabic and English-speaking woman would be able to communicate because each of them shared a common foreign language?
Now here I am at Ibrahim's speaking French not "parfaitmently" but confidently and joyfully!!
And momentarily feeling better understood by this woman than my own kin.
She passes me my piquant poulet shawarma with everything on it.
I receive avec plaisir.
La semaine prochaine!, I say to la femme behind the counter.
La semaine prochaine!, she waves back to me.
Who knows what will happen next week with the U.S. election?
But aujourd'hui, c'est tres bien!
