She stood for a minute, staring in through the glass door, with a look of uncertainty on her face. It was cold and wet outside, uncomfortable weather. She pushed the door and walked in, the look of uncertainty slowly turning into one of perplexity. "Michael... job..." She sounded Japanese, but he decided not to ask. He received an insulted look the last time he asked a Chinese man, Nihonjin Desu Ka?
"Michael... job... city," she said, pointing to the front door. He looked out at the steady drops of rain. Whoever Michael was, he definitely was not at work outside in the rain. Any effort to construct a conversation earned him an even more confusing look from the young girl who seemed to be disappointed at his lack of understanding. He tried to ask her if she had an address or location. "Michael... job.. city, no English," she said. The look in her eyes conveyed exasperation, he was helpless as he looked at her, not knowing how to communicate. He offered to take her next door, since she was pointing outside. There was no Michael next door, just a bunch of amused construction workers trying to add finishing touches to a suit shop. He had to get back to work, she half-smiled and caught the attention of an older man who walked up to her.
Maybe she was visiting her boyfriend in Sydney and decided to surprise him at work. Good luck finding a Michael in the city.
She stood outside explaining to the older gentleman, in the same three words, that she was looking for a guy named Michael, who was either working in the city or was supposed to meet her regarding employment in the city. A passerby stopped and started talking to her in a Chinese dialect, got his phone out and dialed a number. It was Michael. Her Michael, who worked in the city, in a nearby shop.
The rain continued its onslaught on the concrete road. He wondered if the advances we made in constructing complex languages had actually robbed us off the power of communicating without words. Somewhere not so long ago, humans relied largely on body language to communicate. For a brief moment, he discovered the art of communicating with his eyes. The dance of the pupils.
