Leblouche's diary

8. The new student

This morning, Mr. Baume introduced us to a new colleague who will join our department. He spoke to us enthusiastically, saying:

"A moment of attention, please! I have the pleasure of introducing your new colleague, originally from Morocco, but communication will pose no problem. I will let you introduce yourself."

The newcomer, Mariam Abbassi, aged 29 and of Moroccan nationality, introduced herself with a warm smile: "Hello everyone, I am delighted to work with you, especially here at Ectogen!"

Most of the colleagues introduced themselves to Mariam, including me. The manager threw a welcome party for her, like he did for me a month ago. We spent the whole day preparing for the event.

During the preparations, Laure asked me to help her inflate balloons and hang them from the ceiling and pillars. As we worked, she struck up a conversation.

"So, Leblouche, what do you think of the news?" she asked me.

"I'm not sure... She seems friendly, but strangely, I feel like I've seen her somewhere before," I replied.

"Oh, really? Where?" she asked me.

"I can't remember, my memory is playing tricks on me," I replied, glancing at Mariam, who greeted me from afar, receiving a wave in return.

"Oh dear, Leblouche, you're blushing a little, aren't you? What does that mean?" Laure teased me.

"No, it's nothing! And, what's more, you risk falling, so I advise you to stay calm," I replied.

"Yeah that's it, change the subject."

While returning home on my motorcycle around 7:50 p.m., I saw Ms. Piqueron in front of the building gate.

"Good evening, Mrs. Piqueron, what are you doing here at this hour?" I asked, a little surprised.

"Oh, I'm just waiting for my delivery. I could stay home, but I'd rather not take any chances," she explained.

I went home with a sigh, settling on my couch to think about what had happened.

"Do I have a crush on her? She's definitely beautiful, but not that beautiful. And that face looks familiar," I asked myself.

To calm my thoughts, I decided to immerse myself in the memories of my childhood through my journal.

Dear Diary,

This morning, Mr. Picota introduced us to a newcomer, she was of Moroccan origin and she is the only Arab student in our class.

*Mr. Picota entered*

"Sit down, I would like to introduce you to a new student. She is of Moroccan origin, but she was born here, in Paris," explained Mr. Picota.

When I first saw her, I was surprised by her appearance, she has long, wavy, jet-black hair that reaches down to her shoulders, almond-shaped brown eyes and a slim but athletic figure.

"Hello, my name is Mariam Abbassi, I am 13 years old, I am of Moroccan nationality, and I am delighted to be here with you," she said with joy.

I wasn't the only one who was impressed. The other students were also dazzled by his positivity.

"We are delighted to have you with us, Mariam, and we hope that you will feel good with us," Laurent said, greeting her.

After her introduction, Mariam took her seat, and at the end of the class, everyone approached her to chat. It was at this moment that Alain initiated a conversation with me about Mariam.

"So, Leblouche, what do you think of this charming young lady?" he asked me teasingly.

"I'll ask you the question again. Why are you asking me that?" I replied.

"I noticed you were staring at her intently during class. That's something, right?" he continued, mockingly.

"Stop that! Just looking at a girl for a few minutes doesn't necessarily mean I have a crush!" I replied, annoyed by his comments.

"Okay, sorry. Forget it."

Alain suspected a slight attraction on my part towards Mariam, which was totally false, but I denied it to avoid him bothering me or talking about it to others. During sports class, Mariam came up to me to chat a little.

"Why does the coach always start with laps of the field? It's already the size of a building, damn..." I complained after an exhausting lap.

"Hi! You must be Leblouche, right?" Mariam asked me.

"Um, yes, I'm Thierry Leblouche," I replied, surprised.

"I noticed that you're not very talkative. You're probably the introvert in class," she said, panting, too.

"Actually, I'm half-introvert, half-extrovert," I joked.

She laughed. "It sure is, because it seems like everyone likes you."

Making her laugh gave me a feeling of satisfaction and confidence. We continued to chat and get to know each other during and after sports class, then said goodbye at the end of the day.

"Hey, Leblouche! I noticed you spent the whole day talking with Mariam. What were you talking about?" Laurent asked me.

"Nothing special, we were getting to know each other and talking about various topics," I replied.

"I see you two are getting along well. I sense there is a strong attraction between you two."

"Laurent please stop, you know very well that it's not true..." I said, starting to get angry.

"Well, that's just my observation. You don't know about freedom of expression?", he replied, in an impertinent manner.

I must admit that Mariam is very friendly and a fun person to be around, I hope our new friendship will be wonderful later.

11/9/2004

"So it's her!... She's the new girl. What a coincidence!" I whispered, surprised.

And yes, this person who seemed familiar to me was indeed the same Mariam mentioned in my diary. I didn't know if she recognized me though...