I
almost fell asleep until my mother wake me up. “We flew 11 hours not to fall
asleep, okay. Try to make yourself awake by enjoying Parisian’s point of
view.”. My mom is such an enthusiasm. At first, she hates to fly. But her job
forced her to fly all across the nation and that makes her love to travel and
tries something new. My mom, by the way, is a photographer. She works for a
travel magazine in California. Me, i actually love to hang out with my mom ̶ since
she’s the only one that i have ̶ travelling and seeing something i haven’t seen
before. But i hate the fact that she spends her time on her job too much. I
still remember our trip to New York, where we didn’t have just a couple hours
to have fun.
So,
here i am once again. Stuck in a tour bus with a bunch of strangers and an
annoying tour guide. Okay we’re in Paris, but that doesn’t mean she has to tell
us the name of every street that we’ve passed with that stupid microphone like
it’s a big deal. I know some of the tourists feel annoyed too. I see some of
them plugged their headsets and some of them are sleeping. “Ladies and
Gentleman, i would like to remind you all that in a couple minutes we are going
to arrive in the famous church in Paris, Cathédrale Notre Dame, as known as
Notré Dame de Paris that placed in 6 Parvis Notre-Dame, Place Jean-Paul II.
It’s currently raining outside. So please don’t forget your raincoat or
umbrella with you.”
Yup,
our schedule today brings us to Notre Dame. I’ve never been there before. I’ve
been to France but this is my first time to Paris. As i said before, my mom got
no time to spend with me. But this time, her job flew us to Paris and she
decided to have a ‘Mom and Daughter’ time. I doubt that would happend. “Put
your sweater, we’re almost there.”. It’s drizzling outside but the temperature
is quite cold. I put my sweater and packed my bag with Kool-Aid and croissant
that i bought in the pastry near the hotel.
The
bus is stopping. “Okay, we’re here. You can come with me or walk by yourself to
the church. We’ll meet at this point in one and a half hour later, prabably in
4:15. Let’s dig in!”. The tourists are holding their cameras and video
recorder. The woman are busy powdered their face and put the lipstick. Me and
my mom, we’re not that kind of woman who likes to put thick make-ups and high
heels. We’re more like Scout, the tomboy girl in the book To Kill A Mocking Bird.
I’m
walking outside the bus. Tourists are eveywhere. Some of them are taking
pictures. Some of them are feeding the pigeons. Some of them are sitting in a some
kind of supporter bench. Some of them are taking a line to enter the church.
Just when i thought we are going to take a line too, my mom said “You’ll go. I
want to take some pictures of the building and the atmosphere around here. I’ll
call you.”. With a camera around her neck, she left me here, alone. See? She’s
just too busy for me. Then she dissapeared in the crowds, i take a line to the
church. The rain is replaced with a windy weather that makes my hair tousled.
Thank God, the line didn’t stand for too long. I put off my raincoat and my red
barrétte.
The
church took my heart immediately. I’m in love with the stain glass that shined
with the not-so-shiny sun. The silence heals my heart and i feel like i want to
cry for no reason. The architecture is French gothic but it didn’t look spooky
at all. The burning candles makes this vague church glows beautifully. I’m just walking around the church when i saw
someone is walking very fast on the 2nd floor. Did the upper floors are
phrohibited for tourists? Maybe just the functionary of the church, i guess.
I
decided to walk towards a statue of Mother Maria. I put 2£ and lit a candle in
my hands. I closed my eyes, just to feel the serenity of the church. Then, i
put the candle to its place and take a sit on a wood bench. I take some
pictures and suddenly a nun take a sit next to me. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”. I
just nodded and keep my head down. “Do
you know the story of the huchback called Quasimodo? The bell ringer who’s
adopted by the Archdeacon of Notre Dame, Claude Frollo?”. I tried to remember
the story that i’ve seen on the TV. “You mean the story about the gypsy called
Esmeralda?”. She let a juncture on our conversation. “Yes, the dancing woman!
You know the story, aren’t you?”. “I guess so, why?” i answered. “You’ll find
out when you believe.”. Then she get up from the bench and touch my hands. Her
hands are cold and fragile, just like my grandma’s hands. I get up too. Walking
and walking while thinking about the conversation i had with the nun.
I
take a glimpse at my watch. 3:43 P.M. I guess my mom will go to the church
after i finished my little tour in here. So i decided to sit facing the
tapestry and the Jesus Crist. I sit myself on a wood chair, far from the
crowds. I unite my arms and close my eyes. I fell on a pray.
Dear
Lord on Thy holiest place
I am here, on this beautiful church in France
to bend my knee and thank for the blessing Thee gave to me. For the opportunity
to breathe, to see, to taste, to enjoy, and to feel the France itself. Nothing
in a word could describe how much i want to thank Thee.
I am here for ask Thee to answer my prayer. My
prayer for the homeless, for the one who starve, for the broken souls, for the
one who’s not as lucky as me. And for the happiness and health for my angel,
mom. She’s never there for me but i never want to see tears on her face. Bless
us, bless Notre Dame, bless the world.
Amen
I
opened my eyes with a blinding lights. “I heard your pray. Thank you.”. A man
with a big body is sitting in front of me. He is wearing a black coat, more
like hoodie in his head. He didn’t see me. He’s just looking forward but his
words are pointing to me. “But how. . .?”. I didn’t think i mumbled when i was
praying. Or am i? “Don’t ask me how did i do that. The thing is, i’m glad that
someone cared about me. I’m one of the broken soul.”. I’m sure that i heard him
sobbing quitely. “No, no need to thank me. Eveybody in this world should do the
same thing. You know, pray.”.He replied “God bless you.”. Then he left as fast
as he came. Okay, first is a nun and now a mysterious man talked to me? Did i
miss something?
̶ You’ll
find out when you believe
Does
she mean the Quasimodo? But the story took a line at the year around 1480 and
there’s no way that Quasimodo is still
alive. “There you are! I’m looking for you everywhere!”. Mom snapped me from my
own mind. “I saw you from the distance. You talked to yourself? Because i think
i saw you talking but no one is around you. I know you never say your
prayers.”. I got this little heart attack when my mom told that to me. “What do
you mean i was talking to myself? There’s someone in front of me. A man with a
black hoddie!”. I thought my mom is lying about all of this thing, but the way
she looks at me tell me that she’s telling the truth. There’s a long gap on our
conversation. So my mom decided to pray (and take some pictures, no doubt) in
the front row.
You’ll find out when you believe. Maybe
that’s the key. Does the nun is trying to tell me that Quasimodo and this whole
Notre Dame story is real? I used to believe in fairytales. But i figured out
that life is not like the movies and happy ever after don’t exist. I grew up
and it makes me turn into a realistic mind. Besides, if Quasimodo is still
alive, he must be a hundred years old. Some kind impossible, but if you
believe, nothing’s possible.
“I’m
done, honey! Now let’s go back to the bus or else we’ll be left behind.”. Mom
is walking next to me, without even taking pictures. An unusual thing to
happend. As we are no longer in the church, i ask my mom “Mom, if i tell you a
story, maybe some kind of fairytale. And if i tell you that it’s real, do you
believe me?”. I asked seriously but she’s laughing so hard like i was joking.
“Mom, i’m serious about what i’m saying.”. But she don’t stop laugh. “Honey,
there’s no such thing as ghosts, fairytales, and princess, or others from your
deepest imaginations.”
I
actually believe in my mom’s opinion. But something makes me want to believe
about this whole unbelieveable story. So then i close my eyes, whisper in my
heart. ‘I believe in you, Quasimodo’
Then
suddenly, the bells ringing loudly right above us. A sign.
Inspired by the famous story by Victor Hugo