Mercury is in retrograde right now, y'all. Which may account for the whole impossibility of making concrete social plans as of late. On top of that, mercury in retrograde affects your love life—for obvious reasons. It messes up communication as a whole and what's the supposed base of all healthy human interactions, amorous or not? That fact just makes this exchange all the more romantic: A Reddit user in Lyon, France captured the exchange between two neighbors posting love notes in their building's lobby.
I identify as mostly a truther when it comes to all things of the romantic persuasion. Like I want to believe in the majesty of honest, effective Missed Connections postings. I want to believe the guy who used to get on the train two stops after me was as enchanted with my Ames reading material as I was with his Didion. I want to, but I also know most people tend to trot around life in their own fuzzy bubble of oblivion, so such a longing is typically one-sided. This case in a Lyon building between two neighbors, though, suggests this wistful side-eyeing is not completely extinct.
A third neighbor, the one posting the exchange as it unfurled, noticed the first move in the lobby Wednesday morning. I can't imagine how they might not have been jealous, seeing such a potentially ego-stroking notification, but knowing it isn't intended for you. Then again, I guess some people are happy enough sitting on the sidelines of such a movie plotline sprawling out around them. Anyway, here's the first note posted:
Translated into English, the note reads:
Note to a neighbor I ran into you one night, and I didn’t note your name I just know that you live here and we said goodbye on this door step You know where I work and I will wait for you there anyway To finally be able to put a name on your face. Don’t throw this away or else she won’t be able to see it.
The STANZAS here, y'all. Basically someone wrote a sonnet—probably while also slowly, sexily dragging on a hand-rolled cigarette or coyly feeding themselves flakes of croissant—and posted it here for their way sexy neighbor. Sure, it could be a questionable good idea status to chase your neighbor for dating or sex purposes (you will see them all the time even if things don't pan out as golden as first expected, which can make for...weirdness), but this is legit a long-lost Nora Ephron script played out in real, French life. Later, the Redditor found this addition:
OF COURSE this adorable, anonymous neighbor lady carries a precious, blue felt-tipped pen in her likely real Italian leather purse. Maybe I'm adding a few of my own details to the script in play, OK? I see no problem with that. In English, her response reads:
I don't know if this is about me ...What is the first letter of your name?
A fair question. Don't want any less sexy neighbors piggy-backing on this opportunity to possibly score hyperlocal booty. A bit of time passed, yielding this final reply:
In English:
It's a Y (and this is about you)
I did not include the smile face as that is universal (I think). This marked the end of the (at least public) exchange. I mean, I imagine one of the two finally thought to stake out near the posting space and wait for their loverly mutual crush to descend in some halo-hung fashion so they could commence what's sure to be a long-lived, fruitful, passionate, gorgeous companionship. And not a 2.5-week affair that involves "OK" banging and the mysterious destiny of Tupperware, capped off by frequent, uncomfortable run-ins in the lobby and corner bodega. Because that is not good for anyone.
Images: photosteve101/Flickr; Imgur (3)
