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One of the hardest moments after the break-up
happened during one morning in a late September.
I dreamt that I was lying in my bed, in the middle of the night, scared and vulnerable.
He hugged me softly from behind my shoulders
and whispered to me: “Don’t worry, I’m here”.
I felt safe and the fear disappeared.
In that moment I woke up and I was alone, trembling with cold.
My name is Huguette Dadoun.
I’ve been a fruit and vegetable trader for 40 years.
It’s a very good job; a job that requires goodwill.
Sometimes, it’s difficult, but I love it.
It’s been very hard; it’s a difficult job, where you have to soldier on!
We didn’t know anything about this profession but we were forced to do it
because we needed to eat and so we had to work.
Normally I would have been a laboratory assistant
but I had to work from the morning till the evening and I’m an early bird.
I wake up in the morning and I’m full of energy.
I like to touch the fresh vegetables and fruit
and working in this field makes me happy.
So, I’ve never practiced my job.
My day starts at four in the morning,
going to search the fresh goods at wholesale in Corbas.
Then we come to the market, prepare the stand,
serve the clients and we leave only at two pm.
The thing that I prefer within my job is the human contact.
Loving the entire world,
without distinction of colour, religion and belonging.
Like the vegetables: I have all colours,
all dimensions and all kinds.
When I arrived from Morocco, we landed in Paris.
My father was a soldier in Paris.
I came to Lyon for a few days, I liked it and I stayed here.
I met my husband in a music stage.
I love music.
During this stage, I was propositioned to go and see an orchestra that was making its debut
and my husband was playing in that orchestra.
I went to see him in a big hall in the Sofitel in Lyon,
a very beautiful hall
and when I saw him from afar I understood then, that he would be my husband.
I was playing the guitar in an orchestra, she came dancing
and it was love at first sight.
It went like that.
It was love at first sight.
And when the concert had finished, he came directly to me,
even if there were about two thousands people there.
I think he had looked at me very well!
And from then we have never left each other.
- Good morning. He has said to me good morning now. He hasn’t seen me since this morning!
- We have to wake up properly to say good morning.
And now, another good morning. Good morning!
My husband, since he’s a director of orchestra, still keeps on playing music.
He has a group with whom he plays all weekends.
I have a big basement with a guitar, some accordions, and some percussion… an orchestra!
He always enjoys himself. There are five members in the group.
He keeps on playing all the time and makes me beautiful serenades everyday.
He speaks to me with romantic words and I love it.
The day he doesn’t play music, it means that he’s sick.
What’s love for me? It means being trusting of the other person.
It’s exchanging. It’s having common points, many common points.
Besides having the same sign, we are opposite.
He’s completely my opposite.
He likes everything I don’t like.
I like everything he doesn’t like.
The secret is the understanding of the human being,
putting oneself in the other’s shoes and from time to time
not saying what you think in order to avoid an argument.
Cheers! Mmmm, Italian coffee…
When there is a storm, you have to let the storm go and then react.
Never react during the storm.
The storm is dangerous, because it takes to bad decisions.
The decisions have to be taken after the storm.
We have taken knocks in our lives.
One camion was stolen, another was burned
and we were on the verge on not being able to come back to work anymore.
We’ve let the pain and the crying go and we’ve started again twice,
even better than the one before.
I’m an old doll
and Robert is a bear. You know what “ours” is? A bear.
But kind. A kind bear.
All bears are kind.
- When we will retire, we’ll deserve to rest a little. - We’ll rest!
- We’ll rest and I’ll be able to play more music.
- We’ll be able to travel more.
- We’ll travel more.
- Travels, music…
- Now we have nephews.
- We’ll dedicate ourselves to…
- to our little nephews.
- to our little nephews and to our family.
- That’s it.
- That’s it.
I’m a believer, a true believer.
I believe in god, in the human being and in all the god has created.
It’s primordial.
Sometimes, I think about what he’s doing right now.
If there is someone else with him, now.
Then, I tell myself that it doesn’t matter anymore.
I’ve learned that when you really love somebody,
you just want them to be happy,
even if you’re not part of their happiness.
The day I could started again thinking of myself,
was the day I accepted this fact.
Now it’s time to try to forget,
to let myself go and enjoy the warmth of my friends,
the light inebriation of a few glasses of wine,
the fascination of the long French nights.
Thanks to Su Geesey.