Dara sells necklaces in Petra. But, not any kind of necklace, she explained to me while I’m walking in the sand streets of Petra. “Those necklaces are made by camel bones”, she said.
The fifteen-year-old girl has an easy smile and bright eyes. She is very intelligent and wants to use all of her arguments to sell me her necklaces.
I realize quickly that a simple “No, thanks” wouldn't be enough to make her give up on me, so I decide to chat in a way to make her distracted. I asked her your name and age, but Dara knows that she doesn’t have time to waste with tourists and seeing that I wouldn’t buy the necklaces she interrupts me “Where is your boyfriend, mam?”. I laugh “I don’t have a boyfriend, Dara!”... And then she laughs in a sarcastic way and says “what do you mean, you don’t have a boyfriend?”. With a bit of arrogance, I replied “Listen, young girl… After a certain age, you realize that man can bring you so much trouble, that is much much better to be alone”. She laughs. “I have a boyfriend. He’s from Chicago”, she looked me in a way of superiority. “Serious, Dara? So, tell me something… Where can I buy a boyfriend from Chicago here in Petra”. We both laugh loud. “Can I take a picture of you?”. Dara poses for me and smile.
After I put my camera back on my shoulder, Dara makes the question that every child make after you refuse to buy something “Later?”. So, I respond “Later, Dara”. But I’m not so sure if it was about the necklaces or the boyfriends. Who doesn’t wait for love to adorn life?
(Petra, Jordan, 2017)
