Only the posters of boxers on the walls spoiled the overall impression. Framed autographs of famous athletes stood on the shelves, along with a few trophies…
Well, I never tested whether he was really a boxer or not. I didn’t know a more silent or serious person. Not rude – just far too unsmiling. I wouldn’t have dared tell him even the funniest joke: even if he liked it, he’d never show it – which would’ve hurt my feelings. And if he didn’t like it, or didn’t get it…
He was always in a suit and tie, never seen without one. And always clean-shaven to such a degree I found myself wondering whether a beard could even grow on that skin – smooth as a child’s. Maybe the only thing that man knew how to do was frown.
He wore a wedding ring on his left ring finger. He probably didn’t even like it; he seemed like the kind of man who despised all sorts of jewelry.
After two months of sharing space with him (more precisely – two months without exchanging a single word), I realized: people like him are the reason conflicts happen.
Others act behind their backs, against their will – and end up causing even bigger problems. Some try to argue openly, hoping to sway men like him – the unswayable. Noticing me come in, the poor thing didn’t know what to do with her hands and awkwardly attempted to rise from the couch. The couple never had guests over – from that, I concluded he had no friends. Only once, coming back from the store on a weekend, I found Adelina sitting on the couch with a friend. They were whispering. Adelina was wearing her usual leather jacket, while her friend was dressed in an elegant red dress. From what I gathered, her friend was a woman who, though no longer young (though I didn’t really get a good look), seemed terribly shy.
The woman came over a few more times, but I only found out about it from Adelina herself – when she was tidying up and collecting the things her friend had forgotten on the guest sofa: makeup, some piece of lingerie they had shown off to each other, jewelry… all sorts of silly stuff. So, not wanting to disturb them, I quickly put the groceries in the fridge and slipped into my room.
And outside, the moon really was shining bright.“Just gossip, that’s all. They’d do better to go study the moon. What’s on the far side of the moon, I wonder? I think Pink Floyd has a song about that,” said Adelina, waving dismissively at the newspaper, then toward the window.