The First Time I Heard The Holy Spirit - That Mood Swing
June 21st. I cannot remember the year but I remember the day as it was Music Day (“La Fête de la Musique”) in France. For this major event, there always were huge and multiple things organized in my city. Music fests, concerts, dance performances... Everybody was participating to something on that day. If my souvenirs are correct, it was late in the afternoon and I wanted to make a quick stop to my house, before going back to the show my girls' dance crew had put on.
So, I was heading home. There was nobody in the street. Absolutely nobody. No car, no pedestrian. Nobody.
The only human presence I felt was when I was catcalled by some dudes in their apartment. I did not feel alarmed, because they were upstairs and I was on the move. Plus, I kind of was used to being catcalled in my teenage days so I knew how to react : ignore them and walk faster.
As I kept walking, I arrived in a long avenue, totally empty once again. Suddenly, I saw a car. A man was driving and he started to engage the conversation with me : “Excuse-me? Do you know where is **** street?” I could not hear the name of the street he was searching for therefore I asked him to repeat. “**** Street” he said. The traffic light turned red and he stopped his car.
Since I could not comprehend what he was trying to tell me but was looking forward to helping him, I approached the car, in order to talk to the driver. He parked, as there were small parking spaces along the avenue.
I bended over in order to see the man face-to-face. He was way older than me – I was a teenager remember? – had dark hair and facial hair turning gray. He looked suspicious. I didn't feel comfortable with the way he glanced at me. I really was close to this man and the street was still desertic.
All of sudden, I heard someone yell “Watch out!” (“Attention!”). It was weird because I knew the avenue was empty and with all its shrubs and trees, nobody could have possibly seen and warned me.
Right after I heard the voice, it took me one second to look around : I analysed the stranger : he really did not have a trust-worthy face. Then, I looked at his posture: he was bending towards the passenger seat. That made me realize there was nobody else in the car. He was alone. I also inspected the car: I was a mess, it seemed not to have been cleaned up in a while, like a car you don't regularly drive. Then I thought about something: this old dude could grab me and kidnap me, since I was tiny and there was no witness around.
All of these things went through my mind within a second, after I was told to watch out. So, I acted accordingly : I straightened and took a huge step back. I had to move away from the car.
However, I didn’t leave immediately. I talked to the man, just to get a confirmation that I was not being paranoid for no reason. I said: “What street are you looking for?”
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