" I stopped breathing the moment you recognized me, as you captured my soul with your gaze. " This last line of the poem I read earlier was still echoing in my head as I was roaming alone in the almost empty streets . The rare trees I would see were starting to lose their leaves, announcing the autumn . It was the best moment to go out for a walk.

There was almost nobody in the streets there and I could give free rein to my thoughts , while being only surrounded by the calming sound of people enjoying their free time together in their home.

It seemed like a safe haven , something I didn't experience in years... Feeling loved, spending a good time with the loved ones, having someone waiting for me when I come back home.

I was nostalgic of those good moments when I had everything in my life but still decided to listen to this inner voice in the back of my mind saying that if I pursued my dreams, the picture would be perfect ... I guess that the inner voice we all have is not always right about everything.

I walked past someone sitting on a building's stairs, eating a hamburger. This made me feel nauseous only at the sight of it , knowing that I couldn't afford anything else than these for the past few months . I sighed, and looked down.

I could give anything to go back to my motherland and eat my mom's signature dish : lamb skewers with its unique sauce made of yogurt and a lot of spices. I finally grinned , for once in a long time, while thinking of the comfortable life I had there.

Nevertheless, I knew it was an utopian scenario. Even if I had a chance to go back there, I wouldn't. I didn't want the little bit of self-esteem and pride I have , to be completely ruined. I left everything to live the American Dream and set everyone against me with my excessive pride.

What made me think that I had more chances to succed than many others ? What made me think that I could be better than them ?

I passed in front of a closed shop window and saw my reflection on it and. I almost didn't recognize myself.

" Is it... really me ? " my clothes were dingy and my hair were all over the place. My back was arched and I couldn't be physically in a worse state than this. I wouldn't pay much attention to my physical appearance, but just tried to be decent for the job interviews . I got closer to the window and stood straight then arranged my hair a bit.

I was thinking about buying some new clothes when I made an eye contact with this woman. I knew nothing about her but I've always thought she was peculiar. She was homeless yet I felt that she had that aura of a fancy rich woman.

She was always staying in this street and would go for a walk always at the same time. When I'd see her she would always smile at me with a tint of mischief in her gaze.

I got distracted by her and accidentally bumped into someone.

" Sorry " I apologize without paying too much attention to the person. Suddenly, I heard a scream then the sound of a bicycle falling on the road. I turned back and saw the old woman from earlier on the floor.

There was a man probably on his late twenties, standing in front of her. He was slowly realizing that he knocked her over and the consequences of it.

He was stepping back slowly and then turned back to run and escape this accident scene as fast as possible.

" HEY COME BACK ! " I shouted and tried to catch him

" CATCH HIM HE RAN OVER A WOMAN " I screamed to the passers-by while pointing to the guy who was escaping desperately. I hurriedly came back to the old woman laying on the floor. Luckily, they listened to me and ran after him, until they caught him.

" Ma'am can you hear me ? Don't worry we'll take you to the hospital soon everything is going to be ok " I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed the 911. I explained them the situation and hung up.

While waiting for the ambulance, I was talking to the woman to keep her conscious. Actually, it seemed that she wasn't hurt badly, that reassured me a bit.

" LET ME GO " he was screaming and struggled but the man was holding him firmly.

I heard the siren of the ambulance and I saw them coming, followed by a police car. They quickly got out of the car and I explained to them what happened. Then, the policemen forced the man to enter in the car and I got in the amublance.

They brought the old woman in the emergency room anf I was waiting not far from it. She wasn't someone I was close to yet I felt so concerned about her. I found out that her name was Jane, Jane Hoppes.

A few moments later, thedoctor came out from the room so I got up

" Are you the caretaker of Mrs. Hoppes ? " he asked me

" Actually no, I'm just someone who witnessed the accident and stayed with her " I explained

" Oh ok, do you know where she's staying at ? " he asked

" Unfortunately no, I don't really think that she has a place to stay at " I said hesitantly

" Oh I see... " he looked away and paused " Ok anyway it's nothing serious then, she only has a fracture to the radius , a bone in the forearm " he explained to me " But overall, I think she shouldn't be left alone. She's still strong for her age but if she stays outside in these conditions she might become weak really quickly " he advised

I nodded in response and thanked him. Then I waited for her to come out of the room. She was looking around then saw me. She smiled instantly and I did the same.

" Oh you're still here young man, I thought you would leave " she said

" I wanted to make sure that you were okay before leaving " I answered

" Well thank you so much, it's been a long time since someone last cared about me " she confessed

" Oh I see... Well now that I'm here I'll care for you " I promised, a bit moved by what she said

" That's really kind of you young man but you don't have to do that. I guess that you have a family waiting for you at your home so I don't want to involve you in my life . Don't worry about me, I will be fine " she told me

" No not all. Actually, I'm single and I have no family here so it would be a real relief if I know that you're in a safe place and not outside " I objected. I took out my phone of my pocket and looked for the nearest shelter for homeless

" I found a shelter near here where you could stay for this night at least " I showed her the screen and hailed a taxi. I gave him the adress of the shelter.

We arrived there and after some formalities things, they welcomed the old woman

" Thank you for everything you did for me young man. I don't know how to pay you back for all of that " she tells me

" No you don't have to pay me back for anything, I guess that everyone would've done the same " I shrugged

" No I really want to pay you back at least to express my gratitude toward you " she paused to think then she took off what seemed to be like an amulet attached by a thin string around her neck

" Look young man, this is the most precious thing to me. I don't have anything else apart from that, so accept it as a little representation of my gratefulness " she handed it to me

" Then, if it's meaningful to you I think you should keep it. Seeing you in a better condition is just enough to me. I don't need you to give me anything " I declined with a sincere smile

She insisted on me taking it, so I took it and put it in my pocket, promising her that I'll come to see here the next day if I have some free time.

" What's your name young man ? " she asked

"My name is Freddie ma'am " I replied and left

~ The next day ~

I went to work then thought it would be good to drop by the shelter where Mrs. Hoppes is supposed to stay at.

" Hello, I came to see Mrs. Jane Hoppes " I tell to the secretary at the desk

" Yes of course " she indicated the lounge where a lot of people were sitting. Some of them were discussing, eating...

I spotted Jane discussing with someone who seemed to be a volunteer. I greeted him and sat to talk with her.

She was doing well and was so happy to see me. She explained to me how they were taking care of her so well and she was so glad that I brought her there.

I let her a few minutes to talk with the volunteer who was taking care of her

" I thought that there was a legal measure when an accident occures in this way like being guilty of malice in fact " I raised an eyebrow and he snickered

" You sound like a smartass guy by saying that arent' you ? " he snickered and took a sip of his coffee " There's nothing like that going on in this case. But, he was undocumented that's why he wanted to run away when they caught him. I guess he'll be sent back to his country soon " he explained it to me

" Hmm I see... " I mumbled " Well, thank you anyways for thank you anyways for taking care of her " I went to see her a last time before going to my other part-time job

" Thank you Freddie. Thanks to you, I can smile again by knowing that someone cares for me... " She said as she was holding my hands

I didn't say anything but I had actually a big smile plastered on my face. I finally knew what was my real purpose here. It wasn't to be an artist. It was to see a smile again on the people from whom it had faded.

" Mom look I made it myself ! It's beautiful right ? " I showed her proudly my bookmark wrapped in tape to protect it

" Yeah it's really beautiful sweetheart. " she smiles widely " Did you make it yourself ? " she asked while drawing me closer to her to depose a gentle kiss on my forehead.

" Hmmm... " I turned back and gave a guilty glance to my dad who was laying against the door frame. He ended up laughing and came to sit next to my mother

" Why don't you answer to the question ? " he asks with a malicious grin. So I stood up and went to him

" But she doesn't know that you helped me and I told her that I did it myself. What should I do ? " I whispered quite loudly in his ear, pretty concerned about the current situation.

" Well you should tell her that I helped you just a tiny little bit but you made 99.9% of it." he whispered as loudly as me. I nodded and sat in front of her

" Ok so I almost made it myself but Daddy helped me this tiny bit " I gestured

" Oh so you lied to me uh ? " she put her hands on her hips, faking her anger with a hint amusement on her face

" Hmm no I didn't... " I said with a tiny voice

" Oh yes you did, you little naughty girl ! " she exclaimed and started to tickle me. I was laughing uncontrollably...

This bookmark, carrying this beautiful memory with it travelled through the tons of books I read, from the fairytales of my precious childhood, to the romance books that fills my lonely moments during which I would hope that one day my life would be similar to what I read.

Many years later

" Hey Tess look what I found in the box with all your books " my husband calls me from the hall of our new house cluttered with many piles of boxes

" Hey it's John ! " I exclaim and rush to take it

" John ? You gave a name to bookmark " he laughs

" Yeah, because it's more than a bookmark to me... " I sit and stare at John for a moment.

It became old, a bit damaged, but I didn't care about it because the beautiful memories it contained were intact.