093 - The Enigma
It was past 11:00 PM.
The moon hung beautiful in the night sky,
and the starlight cast its glow over the picturesque fishing village.
A summer bar by the shore was filled with beautiful music.
People were enjoying the night's cool breeze,
the melodies, and their drinks.
Some faces were smiling, others were pensive,
and some seemed lost in thought. Everyone was expressing whatever occupied their mind at that very moment.
At a table near me, a couple arrived.
Both the girl and the young man were striking in their appearance.
Let’s call them Couple A. They walked hand in hand until the moment they were about to sit. However, they didn't sit next to each other;
they sat directly across from one another.
A shadow seemed to linger on their faces.
They placed their order and their drinks arrived.
After a while, another couple appeared. They were clearly expected. This young man and woman were also handsome.
Let’s call them Couple B.
Upon entering, the young man from Couple B made an innocent yet sexist comment about the hair of the woman from the first couple. Woman A responded with a smile
and a piercing look straight into his eyes.
They all began to talk together,
smiling and enjoying each other’s company.
As time went by,
Young Man B leaned down and picked up a few small pebbles.
Laughing, he masterfully tried to toss them
into the cleavage of the other woman not his own partner's.
A look of wonder crossed the others' faces, but they left it unmentioned, simply shaking their heads.
I wondered: who gave him such boldness?
This piqued my curiosity,
and I continued to observe the dynamics of this group how they were having fun, and if they were actually having fun at all.
Many songs played, including some Greek ones.
The woman from Couple A began to hum along to the lyrics:
- What do you say? Will we finally become lovers?
She cast fleeting glances at the young man from Couple B.
Strange? Coincidence?
Her partner observed her discreetly.
Something was definitely wrong.
Suddenly, the young man from Couple B
tried to exhale cigarette smoke directly
into the face of the other man's partner, rather than his own.
He was obviously trying to tease her...
but the attempt failed
because the wind was blowing in the opposite direction.
Again, the others remained indifferent.
I had seen many things,
but so many occurrences at once,
and without a single reaction?
I was puzzled.
The fun continued throughout the bar with
laughter, shouting, dancing, and smiles.
A second round of drinks arrived.
The mood grew more intense,
and the nonsense increased but not for everyone.
Time passed,
and my curiosity grew regarding what would happen next.
And indeed, after a while, a new incident occurred.
The man from Couple B found a pen somewhere,
stood up,
and quickly drew a "tattoo" on the other woman’s arm.
A single letter: S.
Fast as Superman, he left his mark on her skin.
- Crazy?
She accepted it!
Everyone was speechless.
Allowing herself to be "branded" by someone else was a surprise.
Her husband, laughing, took a photo of it.
I wondered why.
More drinks were served.
Dizziness soon set in.
Woman B went to the restroom.
Man B was now leaning on Woman A’s shoulder.
Clearly intoxicated,
he was pouring out his "sorrows"
and whatever else he wanted into her ear.
This lasted for quite a while.
Ridiculous.
She was laughing! Man A started laughing too.
He was in the middle of a tragic comedy.
Public Humiliation, I would call it.
I thought Man A would cause a scene;
it was the most expected reaction.
Yet, outwardly calm, he continued sipping his drink.
I was stunned.
- What is going on next to me?
I whispered.
Was he playing the role of the victim, while not actually being one?
Was he calmly gathering evidence and proof to use at a later time?
Why was this tolerance allowed by the rest?
Was it because of their intimacy or their long-standing friendship?
Yet, Respect seemed to be absent, even among friends.
Or was something else happening?
An attraction that, fueled by alcohol and a good mood,
slipped into a public manifestation?
Or perhaps some form of revenge?
Time passed.
The bill came.
The moment for the couples to part ways arrived.
And yet, once more:
Woman A squeezed Young Man B’s shoulder.
What does this signify?
That she can lean on him?
Another mystery.
After they all greeted and kissed each other, they departed.
But in the first couple, I noticed a paradox.
While they walked hand in hand with their Bodies,
their Shadows were not holding hands.
- Fortunately... I am Alone, I soliloquized.
- My Soul!
- Perhaps you know the solution to this entire Enigma?
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