Make a mime artist happy

I used to work as a mime artist when I was young. I had recently come from Australia and I was not able to communicate properly yet, so that option seemed quite appropriate for me, taking into account that I had studied for that. Well, in fact I only went to theatre classes for a couple of years, while failing in my secondary studies. But as a way of introducing me in the atmosphere of my new country, it felt good.

It is not always easy to be a mime artist. It is quite a hard and an exhausting job, and you do not make a great profit from it. Most people do not even look at you, or they ignore what you are doing. Even if you are capable of gathering a little group of people, they will not stare at you for a long time when they see you are definitely not going to say anything in a couple of minutes. Other times, some people will pay attention to you, but only to laugh not with, but at you. And the worst part is that you cannot say anything to that people, because you are supposed to be a mime artist!

So I was doing my job on one particularly cold October morning. It basically consisted of waiting until the traffic lights went red, and then passing through the cars making some funny expressions, trying to draw out a smile on some of those bored, tired and indifferent going-to-work faces, waving to people who were waiting or walking by, and getting some scarce benefits from their kindness.

But that day was passing by with little satisfactions. Nobody seemed to be prepared for a happy encounter with a semaphore mime artist, and even less to pay money for that. People in their vehicles would not move a muscle on their faces, and those ones on the sidewalks would not look at anything but the change of light they were waiting for to get away from me.

Then, while I was finishing one of my turns, saying ‘hello’ to all the people who crossed the street with no results and finally making a not fake but real sad face, a shiny beautiful-looking girl driving an old purple bike, came up with a fantastic open smile on her face. I also smiled at her and we greeted with the hands. Then she disappeared round the next corner.

That lovely girl made me feel better that day, and encouraged me to continue my work during for some weeks. I finally got a better paid job and changed my way of life a bit, but I still like doing mime and, from time to time, I go to that street dressed up like in those days to see if she is waiting with her bike for a green light.