From unknown to unknown- Mixte 1963

Chapter 6- Romance section

" So, I had thought we could make a presentation of different poems that different poets made but all had the same morals, so- "

"I'm against it, it's not innovative enough. We should choose only one poet and explain his growth journey. It would be much easier to do," Dupin stressed to Descamps as if he were the captain and would make the final decision. 

Edith stared at Dupin, hatefully, then turned toward Descamps. She didn't know what she expected, but certainly not that gaze, full of nothing. Like in a haze, cloudy and hidden. Edith suddenly worried a bit, wondering if his eye was hurting or something else was the matter.

"Let's mix the two; explain how the poems were made in important moments of the poet's life and how the morals affected their art. " Descamps stood up and reached behind him toward a full-packed library of well-renowned dictionaries and collections Edith had only heard about through bits and pieces during her father's reunions. 

As unimaginable as it could seem, she was sitting just a meter away from these books she could dream about. By extending her hand, she could touch their binding made of the finest material. She could almost drool. 

Joseph had noticed the way she hadn't been fazed by the majestic interior of his residence. It was maybe 20 times bigger than her entire home, at least and she didn't seem to bother or even be embarrassed at how different their homes were. But as soon as they stepped into the office, her demeanor had switched entirely.  

" You can use whatever material you see in this room, " he picked a record of Sharespear's poem to start somewhere, but couldn't get past the first line as his eyes darted back to the curly-haired girl with almond eyes that sauntered around the alleys of books. He had never seen such a genuine smile on her face, or more precisely, she had never directed it at him. 

"Hey, " she called, " Where did you get all these books? " Joseph closed his book, after securing the page, and used his hands to move around and demonstrate what he was talking about. " These I received from my deceased grandmother, she had a passion for them. Those were gifts, I don't remember from whom. Those, just got here I guess. " 

Her eyes opened wide, shocked that he just had gotten them and wasn't aware of how precious they were. " I see. " They truly lived in different worlds. 

Dupin observed silently as they held a slow conversation, teasing banter and occasionally disrespectful comments. Neither seemed mindful of how the silence between them had become comfortable.

.  .  .  

They planned how much they would do for the session, and each read their parts. It had been productive, however weird that appeared to Edith who had been fully prepared to work entirely on her own. She picked up her bag and walked back down the main stairs toward the entry, followed closely by Dupin who kept on whispering in Joseph's ear, who simply nodded. 

It was late, and it wasn't prudent for her to go back home alone, but she knew neither of the two would offer to drop her safe and sound and she didn't want to ask. Dupin and Edith said their goodbyes to Joseph who seemed to have his jaw locked. He pulled from behind him the book Edith had been staring at half of the session and handed it to her. 

" It would serve a better purpose in your hands than on my tablet, for the project " he explained. Edith gasped as she held it close to her heart and she beamed. Her grin radiated warmth and peace. It was contagious, and Joseph was easily infected. His grin appeared and he shuffled to try and hide it. Even as he closed the door on her happy face, nothing could take that satisfaction away. 

Dupin was looking nastily at her as if the gesture disgusted him. " I have to talk to you, about Descamps. " Edith nodded and followed the skinny boy for some time. The night was chilly. When they arrived close to his home, he turned around swiftly which caused Edith to back down hurriedly.