The Look Of Him - Creative Nonfiction Prompt

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Anderson was an admirable person; his ability to solve problems on the job was extremely impressive. He seemed like a machine, an artificial intelligence that could analyze and respond to everything immediately.

I remember our boss had a predicament that Anderson helped solve. It was a rather complicated economic issue that was giving our boss a headache, but Anderson, with his shrewdness, managed to solve the issue immediately.

He was adored by all and envied by others. I was somewhere in between; on the one hand, I wanted to be as efficient as he was, and on the other hand, I felt an inescapable attraction to his confidence in resolving issues.

After all, Anderson was very handsome, intelligent, tall, with spectacular long straight curly hair and a charming smile, accompanied by a magnetic personality. My attraction was turning into an obsession. Gradually, I tried to imitate Anderson's personality, to fit it to me, but my way of being did not assimilate it completely, and I rejected certain attitudes that seemed too fake.

One day, I decided to do something different in my work. I changed the way I dressed, the way I spoke, and the way I related to my colleagues. Initially, it worked for me until I started to hear some criticism of how fake I seemed.

Some of my classmates were very cruel; their criticisms broke the barrier of my resistance. I began to feel very strange, and I began to question myself. I realized that no matter how much I wanted to change or imitate someone else, I could not stop being myself.

One of Anderson's most remarkable characteristics was his ability to solve problems with ease, which was something I didn't have. It was too difficult for me, I might even say, impossible. However, despite all my obstacles, I decided to continue, but the comments kept reaching my ears.


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“Did you see how she cut his hair?”

“It doesn't look bad on him, although it reminds me a lot of someone.”

“Exactly! I thought so too!”

That's what my classmates said, and so went the opinions. One after another. Each one is more incisive and comparative than the last. One day, I wouldn't keep quiet and decided to confront them.

“Are they talking about me?” I asked some colleagues who stood in the corner of the office, muttering.

“No, dude, nothing wrong!” replied Robert, "We're just surprised at your new style. With that cut and outfit, you look a lot like Anderson."

That comparison felt very direct and biting.

"Oh yeah? Well, I like the style; it has nothing to do with him." I replied.

“Of course...” replied Robert.

Everything fell into an awkward silence, and they went on with their activity, while I walked away as if that moment had never happened.

When I got home, I felt very strange, even though I didn't look bad in the style, I began to wonder, “What had I done to change my personality?”

I thought that by changing my exterior, I could continue with the interior, but it was becoming so difficult that I decided to abandon that plan.

The next day, I was back to my old self, physically speaking, although I kept the haircut since I liked it so much. That same afternoon, after lunch, there was a meeting in the conference room where all the employees of the office were summoned.

The topic of discussion was the efficiency of product distribution, which had taken a worrying downturn. The boss asked for opinions, and Anderson got up to give his ideas, which were predictable to many. And while his idea was a good one, it was not enough to solve the distribution problem.

At that point, a much better idea came to me, but I was very embarrassed, as I have always had stage fright. My breathing and pulse quickened, and my neck was sweating, but then I watched Anderson closely. His perfect effigy, so inspiring, had a certain effect on me, stimulating me with a little of the energy he emanated.

I stood up suddenly without thinking and proposed my idea in front of the whole room. The boss was intrigued and surprised at the same time, as if he hadn't expected that response from me. I could also perceive the gaze of the others, moving their eyes from one side to the other.

After a while of chatter, the conference ended. The boss approached me, placing his hand on my shoulder. He looked into my eyes intently and said, "Your idea is fascinating, son, it just might work. I'll talk to the vendors early tomorrow morning."

Those words both paralyzed me and sent a shiver of excitement throughout my body. I didn't jump up and down in excitement until I left the office. For the first time, I felt critical.

I managed to encrypt something beyond my introverted personality. And right there, on the outskirts, I noticed Anderson's figure as he took a cab. Before getting into the car, he looked at me and smiled, as if to say in his eyes: Good job.

THE END


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LA MIRADA DE ÉL


Anderson era una persona admirable, su capacidad para resolver problemas en el trabajo era sumamente increíble. Parecía una máquina, una inteligencia artificial que puede analizar y dar respuesta a todo de inmediato.

Recuerdo que nuestro jefe tenía un aprieto al que Anderson ayudó a resolver. Era un asunto económico bastante complicado que sacaba dolores de cabeza a nuestro jefe, pero Anderson, con su sagacidad, logró resolver el asunto de inmediato.

Era adorado por todos, y por otros envidiado. Yo me encontraba en un punto intermedio, por una parte, deseaba ser tan eficiente como él, y por otro lado, sentía una atracción ineludible por su seguridad para resolver asuntos.

Después de todo, Anderson era muy guapo, inteligente, alto, con un cabello rizado lacio largo espectacular y una sonrisa encantadora, acompañada por una personalidad magnética. Mi atracción se convertía en obsesión, paulatinamente, intentaba imitar la personalidad de Anderson, acoplarla a mí persona, pero mi forma de ser no lo asimilaba por completo, y rechazaba ciertas actitudes que se veían demasiado fingidas.

Un día, decidí hacer algo diferente en mi trabajo. Cambié de vestimenta, forma de hablar y de relacionarme con mis compañeros. Inicialmente, me funcionaba, hasta que empecé a escuchar ciertas críticas de lo fingido que yo parecía.

Algunos compañeros eran muy crueles, sus críticas rompían fuertemente la barrera de mi susceptibilidad. Me empezaba a sentir muy extraño,empecé a cuestionarme a mí mismo. Me di cuenta, que por más que quisiera cambiar o imitar a alguien, no podía dejar de ser yo mismo.

Una de las características más destacables de Anderson, era su capacidad para resolver problemas con facilidad, lo cual, era algo que yo no tenía. Era demasiado difícil para mí, hasta podría decir, imposible. Sin embargo, a pesar de todos mis obstáculos, decidí continuar, pero los comentarios no dejaban de llegar a mis oídos.

“¿Viste cómo se cortó el cabello?”

“No se le ve mal, aunque me hace recordar mucho a alguien.”

“¡Exacto! ¡Yo también pensé lo mismo!”

Era lo que decían mis compañeros, y así iban las opiniones. Una tras otra. Cada una más incisiva y comparativa que la anterior. Un día, no me quedé callado y decidí confrontarlos.

“¿Están hablando de mí?” Le pregunté a unos compañeros que se hallaban en una esquina de la oficina murmurando.

“¡No, amigo, nada malo!” Respondió Robert, “Solo nos sorprende tu nuevo estilo. Con ese corte y vestimenta, te pareces mucho a Anderson.”

Aquella comparativa la sentí muy directa y mordaz.

“¿Ah sí? Bueno, me gusta el estilo, no tiene nada que ver con él” Respondí.

“Por supuesto…” respondió Robert.

Todo se quedó en un silencio incómodo, ellos siguieron con su actividad, mientras yo me alejaba como si ese momento no hubiese pasado nunca.

Al llegar a casa, me sentí muy extraño, aunque no me quedaba mal el estilo, comencé a preguntarme: “¿Qué había hecho para cambiar mi personalidad?”

Pensaba que, al cambiar mi exterior, podía continuar con el interior, pero se me hacía tan difícil que decidí abandonar ese plan.

Al día siguiente, volví a ser el mismo de siempre físicamente hablando, aunque conservé el corte de cabello ya que me gustaba mucho. Esa misma tarde, después del almuerzo, hubo una reunión en la sala de conferencias en la que todos los empleados de la oficina fueron convocados.

El tema a discutir era la eficiencia de la distribución de los productos, los cuales, habían tenido una baja preocupante. El jefe pidió opiniones y Anderson se levantó para dar sus ideas, lo cual, fue predecible para muchos. Y aunque su idea era buena, no era suficiente para resolver el problema de la distribución.

En ese momento, me llegó una idea mucho mejor, pero estaba muy apenado, pues siempre he tenido pánico escénico. Mi respiración y pulso se aceleraron y mi cuello sudaba, pero después, observé a Anderson detenidamente. Su perfecta efigie, tan inspiradora, causó cierto efecto en mí, estimulándome con un poco de la energía que emanaba.

Me levanté súbitamente sin pensarlo y propuse mi idea ante todo el salón. El jefe quedó intrigado y sorprendido a la vez, como si no esperara de mí aquella respuesta. También pude percibir la mirada de los demás, moviendo sus ojos de un lado a otro.

Después de un rato de habladurías, la conferencia terminó. El jefe se acercó a mí, colocando su mano en mi hombro. Me miró a los ojos intensamente y me dijo: “Tu idea es fascinante, hijo, puede que funcione. Hablaré con los vendedores mañana temprano.”

Esas palabras me paralizaron y a la vez me provocaron un cosquilleo en todo mi cuerpo. No salté emocionado hasta salir de la oficina. Por primera vez, me sentía muy importante.

Logré cifrar algo más allá de mi personalidad introvertida. Y allí mismo, en las afueras, observé la figura de Anderson al tomar un taxi. Antes de subir al auto, me observó y me sonrió, como diciendo en su mirada: Buen trabajo.

FIN

Texto traducido con Deepl | Text translated with Deepl

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9 comments
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¡Excelente este relato! Un viaje de autenticidad donde nos recuerdas que imitar a otros nos desdibuja.
Texto sincero, humano y necesario. ¡Gracias por compartirlo!

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Of course, it's sometimes problematic to try to imitate others. In many cases, it involves accepting others, whose criticism we sometimes have to endure—some constructive, others unpleasant. Regards @universoperdido.

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We are subject to this in all areas of life. The ideal would be to take the good from each thing to shape oneself.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting!

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This story is very deep.
We should try being ourself while finding our own strength as trying to imitate others may not work/end well.

Thanks for sharing..
🥰🥰🥰

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