The Visit

Jan Lenica, 1928-2001, Wizyta Starszej Pani (The Visit), 1958. Poster for play by the Swiss dramatist, Friedrich Dürrenmatt.

Last night I visited one of my friends after several months. A friend whose greatest challenge was to become superbly successful with her persistence and hard working. She struggled silently over the course of twenty years.

I listened to her story while having dinner with the company of her little Maxi, contemplating the magnificent Chicago's glittering night under our feet. Maxi was not a luxury in her life...He was a true love...hairy, white with big eyes and a little green ball...I could transparently guess the result of the election. I did not bother to get the news from TV or Internet. I was haunted by her story, electrified by her soft, cold tone of her voice, hungry for all the details. Her story brought to my mind the essence of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's play "The Visit of the Old Lady".

I admired her every ingenious illuminating word she uttered...And the determination behind all these years....

At the end of the night, before saying goodnight, I knew I couldn't sleep. She immediately made me chamomile tea. I drank a sip, looked out from the wide windows. The city was alive, but cryptic, as she walked towards her room like a ray of light dissolved in darkness...

At home, I wanted so badly to read the play once again to remember the drive behind human's awakening soul.

Watch a scene from "The Visit" an adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's play.