Never underestimate the power of beauty

Locked in a small half-lit room, the two young women looked at each other. Judith's mind was struggling to calm down. The questions were jostling, and they could not find an answer. What am I doing between these four faded walls? How can I move on? What if Eric comes back?

Overwhelmed with yet another doubt, she wanted to cry, but she was afraid of being interned indefinitely.

All those blouses that panicked from room to room to calm those everlasting cries of pain, the whiteness of infinite sadness ...

No, Judith didn't want to stay. She saw the preoccupied face of Lara Ferdini addressing her a prescription in wavy writing:  Deprixa

Who invented the names of drugs?

—It's for me? It is so kind of you! You shouldn't have, I assure you! said Judith as if she had just been given an unnecessary gift.

—The treatment will tire you a little, but you must take it. You must continue to live, assured Lara before she felt discomfort in her throat. You have to ... then her voice broke.

—Are you crying?

The intern took off her glasses and allowed herself a few tears.

She knew it was forbidden. Professor Duvernois had warned her many times. Do not show your weaknesses in front of patients. Show courage in any situation, even if it is totally hopeless. She had learned the lesson. She repeated it to herself every morning in front of her mirror but could no longer apply it. Lara Ferdini gave Judith a compassionate smile and said:

— Life is too short. You don't want to speed things up. You could have died, you ...

She could not finish her sentence as the sobs rushed into her throat.

—Yes, I wanted to die of weariness. Are you single?

— Why did he leave you?

— The routine or maybe another woman stole him away from me. I do not know why that urged him to bring our story to a close, but now I know one thing. I have to live. You saved me.

—I only did my job, you know, said the intern, embarrassed.

— You did more than that. You listened to me. You didn't look at me like I was a poor nutcase when my resume is already full, Judith replied, giving her a smile.

—You have to take care of yourself.

—I won't deny it! You are absolutely right! Do you know a good hairdresser?

—I was referring to a therapist. I have names ...

- A haircut, that's what I need! What do you think of the Lumin'hair hairdresser, you know the one right next to the corner?

Judith was definitely one of a kind! She had swallowed a dangerous cocktail and was immediately ready to bounce back. Lara Ferdini loved this ability to rebound. Her patient had just attempted the worst, but she was not prepared to let life escape her. The intern kept working at the hospital relentlessly. Overwhelmed with a routine weariness, she regretted the warmth of her bed, but sometimes the patients brought her pleasant surprises like a glow in the night, as it had just happened with Judith.

-—I have a friend who works there," she said.

Lara gave a smile then added:

—When are you going to go?

—Straightaway! 

—This may sound unprofessional but don't forget to live. I hope not to see you soon.

—You didn't answer my question," Judith pointed out.

— Yes, I'm single and happy this way, she said with a burst of laughter.

At these words, Judith and Lara understood that solidarity had just sprung to life amid white coats, red badges, and cries of distress. The two women were laughing now. This desire to leave the earth seemed far away now as if it had never existed. She had almost forgotten what the cologne-scented pills had won her stomach for.

                                                                         ****

Judith felt a little nauseous from the drink she had swallowed; she finally understood that Eau de Cologne was much better on herself than in a glass of water. She blamed herself for having wasted this scent like that, and especially for a heartache. She knew she had to reconnect with this perfume to permanently forget its taste. 

 Her gaze had first landed on a Chanel by reminiscence. She opened the bottle, and immediately a charming scent spread under her amused nostrils. She savored the moment, looked at herself in the mirror, and found herself almost attractive. A bald man tapped her on the shoulder, but Judith was so frightened, she jumped, and the bottle slipped from her hands. Without worrying about its fate, she grabbed another one, she would read Eau de Cologne. She sprayed some over herself, even if it meant emptying it all. Judith seduced smirked at each drop that touched her skin.

These scents soothed her like a hot bath after a frantic race. A saleswoman observed her with disapproval but had refrained from any derogatory remarks. Judith, smiling, bulky wallet in hand, walked over to the cash register. A little girl insisted that her mother buy her a lip gloss.

This beauty asset was not to in her mother's plans. Upset, she tried in vain to put an end to the negotiations. In front of her, an old lady was struggling to find a handful of pennies. She poured out the contents of her purse on the counter under the dumbfounded gaze of the customers and saleswomen. Judith was in such a hurry to leave the perfumery with a thousand mixed scents; she changed boxes and observed a saleswoman with blond braids, attractive bosom where a label proudly stated:

Hello, I am Claire! Beauty adviser!

At your service!

Smile, keep shining!

— Is it a gift? Asked the young woman?

— Uh ... to replace the one I drank, said Judith, surprised by her question.

Dubitative, the saleswoman, paused. Should she laugh at this reflection or hurry to dial 911? Judith gazed insistently at the prominent creams behind the counter with as much delight as a young woman experiencing a happy start to her romance.

— I'll give you some samples of moisturizing body lotion, said Claire, putting everything in a bag.

— Do you have shampoos too? Tried Judith with the cheekiness that characterized her. Judith took her wallet and went out of the perfume store. A comforting heat similar to that of devoured treats to heal other disappointments welcomed her.