"All atoms must jump in one direction..."

From The English Patient:

"I believe this. When we meet those we fall in love with, there is an aspect of our spirit that is historian, a bit of a pendant, who imagines or remembers a meeting when the other had passed by innocently...But all parts of the body must be ready for the other, all atoms must jump in one direction for desire to occur."

A long time ago, I was at a play by The Necessary Stage. It was an invitation from BMH, who brought her friends. I sat next to the girl who would captivate me a year later.

But at that moment, we were unknown to one another. She sat next to me, telling lame jokes throughout the play. Trying to get a laugh. Trying to break the ice. She spent the night sitting next to a sombre, silent stranger.

I did not recall much of her about that night. This anecdote was passed on to me through her narrative.

A year later, quite by accident, some antics of hers finally made me laugh. Then I fell in love.