A Stop at the Crossroads Cafe

I have had the 1993 French film, "Trois Couleurs: Bleu" by Krzysztof Kieslowski running through my head. I have seen this movie so many times, I don't even need to read the subtitles.

In this movie, Juliette Binoche plays a woman whose husband and child are killed in a car accident. Suddenly removed from any familial bonds, Juliette attempts to cut herself off from all that she knew before. She leaves her apartment, abandons most of her belongings, and ignores her old acquaintances. As the movie goes on, however, Juliette discovers that she can never truly disconnect from society. She needs to work with her friend to complete the music composition her husband never finished. She needs to help her neighbor out of a sticky situation. And she decides to help support the mistress who is pregnant with her dead husband's baby.

Since Cindy's death, I am constantly flirting with the desire to cut myself off completely from all that I knew before. It's no wonder that I took a trip to the desert. Even though I am sure that this town has a population of 3, it's impossible to completely disengage.

I actually tried to see if I could go most of the day without talking to anyone. I was not able to make it. When I sat alone at the pool today, the lifeguard solicited my advice on computer jobs. I requested more bath towels and the front desk attendant asked me if I wanted any chocolate chip cookies. And a woman was unsure of whether to get the soup or the salad with her sandwich at the Crossroads Cafe and I could not stop from shouting out across the counter: "You've got to get the artichoke heart soup, it's the best soup I've ever tasted."

Posted with LifeCast