This city is filled with tourists. It's been getting worst in the past couple of years. Large groups making noise all the time. Having your picture taken by strangers without being asked. Dirt everywhere they pass... annoying!
Don't know why I complain though. I'm a migrant myself. Still. I loved not seeing so many groups of tourists as in my hometown, in Athens, at the beginning of my London exile.
Asians taking photos everywhere. It's like paparazzi city all over the place.
I duck a laughing woman who's trying to take a photo with her hands in the air and head for the bridge. My office is just around the corner. My beautiful London office, that got me convinced to leave home and move on Brit territory.
All of my friends hate me for this office. From my window I can see Tower Bridge and because I'm really lucky I scored a terrific lease near Saint Katherine's Way almost as soon as I started looking for a place to live here.
I pass the group of tourists taking selfies with the Thames and hurry over the bridge when my attention is caught by a silhouette.
It stands out in the crowd and it makes me stop. I can feel my eyebrows furrowing because my alarms are all on, due to this girl's position. She looks strange. Frozen in the middle of a moving crowd. She takes one step towards the edge of the bridge and stops again. Is she... is she.. what is she doing?
Since she's on the other side of the road I'll need to cross the street to look closer. I'm not sure, but I think in the sea of tourist this specific one is a jumper. Running between two cars I hurry to reach her like is my job to stop her from whatever it is she's doing.
From behind she looks like she's an Asian woman, just taller than an average one. Getting closer I can now see she's not really Asian. She's Caucasian, although everything about her says 'Welcome to Tokyo'. Her clothes are identical to those worn by all the amateur photographers surrounding her. Above the ankle large pants, some sort of sportswear shoes, large jacket kimono style. Her hair is also from a Manga cartoon. Strait, black, clean bob cut.
Getting really close now I observe her profile and inhale a deep breath of air. I came across the Tower Bridge to save this girl, who now has left me out of breath.
Wow! What is this? She literally sucked the air from my lungs. Her profile is hand drawn, like I've never seen before, like one of those beautiful Greek statues from home. Strait nose, extremely big eyes, wide opened and fixed in the river passing in the horizon, heart shaped mouth. She's the image of my perfection and she's not even noticing me getting closer. She doesn't seem to be wearing any make up and now, so close to her, I can see that her hair is dyed black since her roots are a lighter shade. She's beautiful and captures me immediately, almost making me forget why I'm running late at the office.
People continue to pass by us, but she doesn't seem to notice them, to notice me. Maybe she's in some sort of a trance? Will it be ok if I just stop her?
- Hey, hello! I hear my voice before deciding what to say. Do people just stop jumpers from, well, jumping? For a second I wonder if she even hears me. She doesn't seem to respond to anything but the waving call of the Thames.
- What are you doing? My mouth opens again without my consent while my hand touches her shoulder. So much for strategy. I just touch her briefly, scared not to frighten her and my move finally gets her attention. Thank God!
I can finally see more than a profile. A full face with those enormous eyes that could captivate even the most agitated person. I know i should continue to talk, that's what people do in the movies when it comes to stopping suicidal girls on famous bridges. But i can't say a word since I'm absorbed by those eyes. Light brown, almost yellow have me glued. She doesn't even blink. Just watches me carefully like she's interested in what I'm saying. And then she opens her mouth.
