On the top of the world

by Madeleine Ruh

was young. She decided to leave, and asked him to split their belongings, compelling them to sell the little paradise, the house near Limoges.

  She stayed in Limoges, where she met her third husband, or second chosen one. A "gendarme". A nice guy, in love with her, fullfilling her in her ideal, to be a free woman, taking care of him and working again to clean houses and earn money."

  The other female voice said : "I need to smoke, so let's go outside".

  End of the story.

  I hear the other voice while leaving their table "We're so lucky, it's incredible to think of the flow of emigrants from Syria, overwhelming European governments. Merkel was quite impressive…" Then I began to loose their voices.

  I turned my head to look at them. One of them, the voice, was a tall woman in slim jean and jacket, with dark eye shadow and thin lips, with rock and roll look, the other was a plump woman older than her, a large smile on her face.

  I liked Myriam's story. She must be a great woman to meet.

  Beijing . September 2015

  Mother's day in LA

  They're friends for a long time now. They used to work together. Then, diner after diner, discussions after battles and laughters, they became close friends.Their differences make their relationship very strong. When they happen to see each other, they connect in seconds.

  - "Hello, how are you ?" says the voice in the screen showing a man in his midlife, good looking.

  -" I try to get used to Skype to communicate, not an easy thing for me, as I prefer to see people, but helpful for the boys now students in Canada. And you, how are you, it's May, I arrive in October. Let's plan the week-end when I come and see you."

  She answers and wave at the screen while showing what's around her.

  - " You seem to be in China".

  She confirms, they're in a beautiful place near the Summer Palace. The hôtel has a secret key to enter the park, and enjoy the calm at the sunset, after the crowd has left, groups of Chinese retired people with a loudly microphone, young couples doing selfies with a mechanic arm to have the smartphone far from their face. She explains she didn't like the fact that in the swimming pool two men were taking picture and walking around the pool with their shoes, huge amercan shoes, under which you can have mud.

  -" Hey, you're in China, remember, last time we came, someone spit on my jacket, it was disgusting. You have time for the first time of you life, you must be Zen !" He laughed and open his arms like welcoming her in his arms to rest.

  - "Honestly that's a good start for a long trip, as you can see, there is a tree leaning on the water, carps looking for food, and in front of me a temple with an autel, and what we call in French "nénuphars", you know like in the nympheas by Monet. Tell me how things are going in LA, new friends new life, isn't it ?"

  She stopped moving and was carefully listening to him, on the screen ; he had a big cup of coffee, and she was drinking tea, they were like sharing a moment even if it was more than twelve hours of difference in their timing.

  - "You know, my job is difficult, and Jack my CEO is an asshole, changing his mind twice a week on goals and strategies. But when I come home, the girls seem so happy, with the house and swimming pool, so I forget everything else. They adapt very quickly, their new nany is great."

  She knocked her head, like acknowledging he was a good dad. They had long discussions when he decided, although being gay and single, to adopt a child, then finally to have one with one mother for the fecondation, one to be pregnant, thus legally being the only parent.

  - "And love in your life ?" She asked raising her eyebrows.

  -"Mmm… Nothing stable. I see guys. They come and disappear." Suddenly his blue eyes were darker and he looked older, as tired of his life.

  - "How comes ?"

  - "The good news is that compared to San Francisco, guys are good looking. No Asian, even if I'm not racist, I think they have a special smell, and I couldn't have sex with one of them. No veteran of the gay pride, forgetting he needs to do sport and taint his hair if he still wants to be appealing. In LA, they're just handsome. It's exciting."

  He had a smile, and took his smartphone to show to her a picture.

  - "Look at him, isn't he gorgous ?"

  She acknowledged looking at a body with muscles, and a tiny head, around twenty years old.

  - "So what's wrong ?" she asked, feeling he was not happy compared to last time she talked to him when he was about to move in the beautiful house in LA.

  - "I've got issues. Last story I had, I had to interrupt the relationship. I've heard by friends that my boyfriend, a limousine driver wanting to be an actor, I know, like plenty of them in this crazy city, I've heard that he was taking drugs. I didn't believe them, when one week, suddenly he disappeared, not answering my messages and textos."

  He took some coffee in his cup and she interrupted, considering the guy was dead, because for her LA was crimes and police investigations.

  - "Was he dead ?"

  - "No, no," he laughed. "I finally understood he was having fun in a special party where people drink, take cocaine and heroin, and have sex during a few days."

  She showed on her face she was not approving the kind of lifestyle, thinking that it was not ideal for the girls, now five years old.

  - "How the girls are doing?"

  He put his hand in his hair, sign of being ill at ease.

  - "They're doing great. This school cost me a lot, but it's worth it. Clara saw a guy in my bed in the morning…"

  - "Naked ?" the tone was a little judgmental as a friend could be.

  - "Nop. I take care of that. But still she asked me when I interrupted the relationship, why we didn't see anylonger the cute dog.

  - This one had a dog ?

  - Yes," he whispered, "a guy in charge of the security of a building at night. That's why I only saw him when he had his free day per week."

  Suddenly the screen went black and she had to connect it again. She had forgotten to recharge the battery of her computer, so she had to come back to her room to plug it. After three minutes, the little sound of the app showed them they were again connected.

  - "Hie again !" she said.

  - "Nice to see you again, I hate not to conclude a discussion." He looked at her and said. " Can I ask you an advice ?"

  - Sure.

  - What do you think I should say about my sexual life, not mentioning my sentimental one that doesn't exist. I mean to my girls."

  She stayed mute.

  - "What did you say to them about their mothers ?

  - Everything.

  - Ok, then, you could tell them they can see guys around but daddy will tell them when it's someone for good, that is important for you, as their grand parents for instance. And that else nothing matters."

  He stayed mute and then asserted.

  - "I did it wrong. I missed the mother's day at school, and all the other children had their mother at school, except my girls. I should have come, but I was not feeling good about being here.

  - Hey, don't worry, that your first mother's day in LA. You'll have other ones, and you still have time to manage and explain. Just be careful that they undertand that if daddy is daddy and is happy, it's also that he meets people he likes and spend a good time with them.

  - Aouch, I'm just thinking we are so different. "

  She laughs and says : "Yes we are. I don't know why I did decide to do this Asian trip. I'm so fed up in the flights to smell the disgusting fragrance of "ail" like some guys never wash their mouth, wish me good luck, I've got a four hours flights to go to Lhasa.

  - Waow, Tibet must be amazing, what's good is that you continue to learn and discover.You're not that old after all, hahaha ! You know what, perhaps you'll be wiser, and perhaps…I will continue to ask you for some advice. And please, on your side, ask me anything you want. Have a good evening my friend. See you in November. Call me before."

  She waves, and the screens are grey again on her side, and another Skype screen pops up in
LA. A naked guy on his bed with a panther cover, and asking if he's alone tonight.

  Beijing Tibet . September 2015

  The Chinese guide

  I'm twenty two years old. I speak english, therefore I choose a job after university to make sure I would earn a lot of money. I was born in Shanghai, raised by my parents that adore me. My first cell phone, I had it at fourteen. I chose my company, a travel agency, specialised in Tibet. Why ? I liked the guy, and I guess as I'm in love with Shan, it enables me to go outside my own city, still not far away for where I live. I manage to work six months and then to have big breaks. As Shan loves like me to go out, dance and listen to electro music, there is a big contrast in my life in Lhasa and in Shanghai. The Chinese groups from Shanghai are nice with me, I've got great tips, they love my energy.

  If I had to describe Lhasa ? Dirty. The pilgrims smell, their clothes are washed by hands with soaps. Meat is sold in tiny boutiques on the counter, not even protected from the pollution of the street. I just admire the link between mothers and daughters. You see often a woman having the hand of her old peasant mother in her hand, like protecting her, as she 's growing old. I could never do that with my mother, and I never touch her, and when she gives a kiss for my birthday, she put her cheek near mine, and like bump into me, it's a little brutal, but that's what I've experienced since I'm a child. The grand mothers have sometime a baby on their stomach, wraped in a traditionnal fabric. People look wise. Men don't taint their hair as our own President and his ministers, women