Shadows On The Wall

Part 1 - When the heart speaks

Chapter 1:

Solisha stood by the old shed belonging to her grandfather, with dreamy eyes she watched the birds making nest in the old apple tree. She had always said her life needed a spin and here she was on this warm summer evening dreaming of her life, a life of the rich and the famous to be seen in magazines and televisions but how to get there was very difficult. In her mind she believed there was no way out of this small town far from all the lime lights that she had always envisioned. She adored the buzzes of the bees and wished she could taste the honey that her cousin Alicia used to bring home during the cool summer nights. She thought of her and wondered where she was now. Alicia, her beautiful cousin had left home, family and friends to pursue her dream, a dream that had turned her into a well known figure. She had given everything to work with the sick and the homeless in the rural part of Africa. As passionate as she was in her line of duty, her parents worried about her and wished she had come back home. Life is strange anywhere and everywhere, we are the masters of our own destiny a phrase her mother had always used when Alicia was depressed not knowing what to expect from the career she had chosen for herself. Solisha closed her eyes and decided that time is of the essence, now or never, everything was in her hands to dwell on or to act on. Her world will be what she makes of it.

Chapter 2:

Days became weeks and weeks turned into months and suddenly one year had passed. Solisha had no idea what to do with herself. She went to work everyday to make ends meet but this was surely not what she had set her heart on for the rest of her days. Out of nowhere she heard a voice calling her name, she turned but did not see anyone, she tried to decipher what that voice could be and she came up with nothing. She was indeed sad. She went to bed that night with a heavy heart but when she woke up that morning she felt happy as if a new world had just opened for her. Her life flashed before her, bright like a morning star she knew then what she had always wanted to be, a famous designer. She thought of herself as "the designer" worthy to be seen on magazines and in all corners of the world; she would make her country proud. The young generations would be looking at her work of art and they would remember her as they learned from her experience.

She walked to her bedroom and pulled out from her dresser an old leather briefcase her grandfather Augustin had given her for her 25th birthday, she murmured softly '' today is the day''. With delicate hands she opened it hoping she could at least retrieve the old tarnished portfolio that had taken her years to put together. I need to do this she told herself. With vivid memories and a sharp mind she started to put together copies of her drawings, the drawings that she thought would take her far away to riches and fame.

The neon light across Carana Street albeit its old worn out posts and lime-washed houses produced a glow which pulsated across the canopy yard of her house. She was drawn to this energy, an energy that she never believed she possessed. It was indeed hard for her to put into words. The scent of roses from the fallen petals caressed her window pane as she witnessed the beginning of a new life. Tired after a sleepless night, Solisha woke up from her bed, excited that her papers and documents were finally accepted and she was to start her new life in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Often referred to as the Paris of South America, Buenos Aires offered her fame and excitement. She had never set foot abroad; the only life she knew was the Island life she shared with her mother. She realized that it was time to cut the knot and to live life. For a simple girl, strong in character and very opinionated in both her judgment and that of others, she set high expectations for herself. In the year 1978 she set sail for a continent she hardly knew or had heard about.

The boarding school she had chosen was far to be desired. What she had hoped for was not attainable. The wooden furniture was old with a refinishing look. The old armoire where she hung her coat looked like it needed a good varnishing. Although the lifestyle of the people was not complicated it was not the same from the island life she had lived. The locals were gentle and loving and they were ready to give her advice whenever she sought. The city was so populated that she found difficulties finding her way about, she found consolation in her bedroom far from the friendly students that partied all night and came late in the afternoon to a classroom that had not much to offer. Seeking refuse from the boredom of the classroom, Solisha volunteered to work for the city museum during her days off from class. It was that same museum that showed her the face of love instead of fame hence changed the course of her life forever.