In a tiny loft on the 3rd floor of a quaint townhouse-like apartment building, a young woman stands in front of her window looking down at the street that she has known to be a quiet one. Cars were small and compact enough that they are all parallel parked right behind one another. The stairs that lead to the main entryway of the buildings, on a typical day, would only feel the footsteps of its occupants leaving the building in the morning and returning later on in the evening. This is not a street where one would find a party or any worthy recognition of events.
Except for on this day.
The young woman of only 19 years of age backs away from the window as she caught sight of the crowd that has slowly been gathering. She looks around her tiny loft and walks over to the kitchen that she shares with her roommates. In her mind, she wonders if she is doing the right thing by making a decision that she somewhat understands. Love is love after all. Last night, when she asked him if he loves her, his reply was “But, of course. Whatever love means.” She recalled merely giggling like a school girl at his response and she decided it was his way of showing his affection and love for her by shrugging it off. She reminded herself that she must let go of such simple minded and ridiculous moments.
She looks at her watch and realizes that she is running late to her work. It’s not every day that she runs into such situations. She is usually quite prompt at all of her appointments and maintains this repertoire with the school where she is a teacher’s assistant for a kindergarten class. She adores the children she works with and they find her lovely. She feels that such time spent with them will someday give her all the knowledge that she will need to have children of her own. She realizes just then that when she does have her children, they will not be hers at all. They will belong to a realm. She shook off such thoughts and tells herself that her children will be hers.. and his, of course.
She looks at her telephone and decides to call the one person that would at least expect her phone call. After a ring and a half, the she hears the receiver pick-up.
“Oh my darling pig! Where have you been?”
“Hello, Mum. I just wanted to say hello, that’s all.”
“Hello?!? Is that all? I’ve had the telly on all morning!”
“Alright, Mum. I must be going now. I will phone you soon.”
She quietly places the phone back down and realizes that calling her Mum was the last thing she should have done. She glances at the window and contemplates whether to walk over and peak once more. She decides that the best way to do this without giving the crowd a sense of her walking towards the window is to get on all fours and slowly crawl. She begins to crawl ever so quietly as if every little inch of movement would trigger a reaction from the world outside of her loft. She begins to stifle a giggle picturing how his family would be quite appalled to find her on all floors crawling anywhere. As she reaches the window, she can hear them yelling and she’s not quite sure if they were yelling at her or at each other. What is with these people, anyway? Have they no work that they must get to? An article to write about the world? She stops crawling and realizes the ridiculousness of it all. She glances once more at her watch and realizes she really must be going.
Just then her telephone rings. She stands up and runs to answer.
“Miss, I’ll be down here to walk you to the school. You have 10 minutes, Miss.”
“Yes, sure. Would you be walking with me then, sir?”
“I’ll be walking behind you, Miss. Please hurry soon.”
She hangs the phone and bites her lower lip. An indication of a growing anxiety that she is feeling crawl through her skin. She decides that she cannot stay in her loft forever and really, she must get to the children at the school. They would be quite upset if she does not show up today.
She walks into her bedroom to grab her purse. She glances at the mirror and notices that at least she was thinking to put on something demure today. She pats her short hair and slides on a bit of goo on her lips. She smiles to herself and is satisfied that the reflection imitates just the same.
One step at a time, she thinks to herself. It’s just a crowd of people out there and it isn’t such a big deal as they are all making it out to be. Love is love after all and who is the world to judge such thing.
She walks down her building stairs and she recognizes the man who just minutes earlier called her as a reminder.
“Hello, Miss. Are you ready to walk to your school?”
“Why, yes, of course, why would I not be?”
“Pardon my intrusion, Miss. But you must realize that after you walk out your building door today, your life will not be same as it was.”
“Of course, it will be! This is my life, after all. Shall we proceed?”
She takes a deep breath.
He opens the door and as soon as he does enormous lights beams at her from all directions. There are words being yelled that she could not understand and she can feel his arms holding on to her elbow leading her away and through the crowd. Loud noises along with the clicking and the lights confuses her sense of direction and all she could feel is his hand on her elbow as she holds on to her purse that she realizes she is hugging close to her body.
She soon begins to understand the clouded voices and the words emanating from them. They are calling her to look at them and to say something. Why are they calling her that? No one has called her that, ever. What a ridiculous way to acknowledge someone in the streets. She did not respond. Those that knew her quite well fully understood that she will never respond to being called Lady Di.
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