- By Erwan
How did I meet my soul mate?
It all started two years ago. When I started school as a construction engineer, I had the opportunity to travel for the first time. And that first time was in Northern Ireland, in Belfast. This short stay made me love this country: its traditions, its music, its landscapes and its people.
You must know that for me, English is a language by which I escape. Being of French origin and attaching to all the prejudices that this implies, I had the desire to speak English, to discover another country, a country that allowed me to detach myself from the codes of France.
At the end of my second year of engineering school, I had to do an internship abroad, and at the same time, be able to realize a dream: that of travelling and speaking English in everyday life. Naturally, I turned to Ireland, a country I cherish in my heart, and you will find out why.
So, it was on June 30th that I left Cherbourg on a ferry to Rosslare-Harbourg, with my motorbike, ready for this road-trip.
Meeting some friends brought me to learn and play the Bodhran, a traditional Irish tambourine, in the pubs of Cork. And it's a Friday 19th of July 2019 that everything has changed.
We had been playing our respective instruments since 9pm, driven by well-known tunes from Ireland or from the whole world, washed down with a few pints of Guinness. The evening was coming to an end, everyone was cheerful, and everyone was getting ready to go home to rest from the past week's hard work and the healthy tiredness of the pubs after an evening of singing and music. It was time to say goodbye, to talk one last time with travelers you will never see again, waiting for the next day.
It was then that a shiver caressed my spine: in front of me had just come out a person with a smiling face, drawing attention in the mass around me. The kindness that this young girl inspired, her clear laugh like crystal clear water coming down from the mountains, her radiant smile with which a pure soul could be seen, immediately conquered me. Just a "hello", an exchange of names and a stronger heartbeat, and we were already on our own way home. An hour drive on Irish roads to think back to that magical apparition that shook my heart.
That's when we discovered our detective talents: who was it? So many actions taken to relive that moment.
Saturday, July 27th. An unhoped hike to which I was invited as part of a group of friends at Three Castles Head gave me a break in my imagination about this young lady. My shyness and clumsy English did not help me to engage a conversation. Only a few words of politeness, or to laugh a little at such and such situation. It was during this hike that a detail finished to capsize my heart: this fairy hair, this wild mane whipped by the sea wind in a landscape of cliffs and green meadows was like being taken from a fantastic movie. A few stolen photos, pretending to take a picture of the landscape, engraved these moments in my memory.
Saturday August 10: New reunion with the chosen one of my heart. This time, the weather and the distance allowed me to sit close to her during a car trip to the Kallarney natural park. This decidedly ingrained shyness didn't allow me to simply talk and laugh and apologize when my hand touched her leg when turns was taken a bit quickly. A second step had been taken.
Sunday 18 August: It's been a week since we started keeping in touch by messages, only a few important banalities keeping the dream I was living alive. That evening, I was playing around a table, accompanying some musicians, and there she was, on my left, sitting with some friends at a table, laughing and chatting with them. Why did this sudden jealousy come over me when a boy approached her? The path was already well under way in my loving mind. No farewell, a cold departure on my motorbike, and 60 km in the night. A stupid reaction on my part that caused her the first pain due to my stupidity.
Monday August 19th: Thinking back on my act of the day before, and feeling remorse, I decided to share our dinner so that we could talk face to face. Magical, difficult, giant, indescribable moment, lovely, smiling, thinking. Her imminent departure for a week's vacation was putting pressure on my heart. I had to act and make a decision, whatever it was. I made this choice on the doorstep by giving her our very first kiss.
She holds my heart in her hands. I love her to life and death. She's the one I wake up every morning with a smile on my lips thinking of her sweet face. What's her name? Chelsea.